A Letter, A Past
by Wiggle34
Summary: My take on how things went after season five. Mike and Kate mainly in this story. But there is some of Marshall, Maxine and the rest of the rest of the crew.
1. Chapter 1

**Title - A Letter, A Past**

**Author - ME - Wiggle34**

**Rating - PG**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Sea Patrol or its characters, only those I make up that are not part of the show.**

**A/N - Thanks to Dreema for being my beta for this story , also updates will not be as fast as you guys are use to from me so don't panic if updates take a few days to a week to get done on**

* * *

It had been a week since the deaths of Captain Jim Roth and Petty Officer Coxswain Chris Blake. But for Maxine it was work as per normal, unlike the crew of Hammersley which she had given two weeks shore leave to allow them time to grieve and seek counselling for the events that unfolded that unfaithful day.

Since she had arrived in Cairns she had heard a number of rumours about Mike and Kate, that there was more to them than just CO and XO, she could tell from the way they looked at each other that there was more to them, but she had no proof. The day Mike went to fleet command and demanded his desk job for personal reasons she knew then that there was more to these two than meets the eye. She had been trying for thirteen years to get Mike Flynn back into her bed without much luck. Even that night a few weeks ago when they kissed, he never took it any further than a kiss, she was hoping they would go all the way but no it never happened. After that night she started to wonder if she had done the right thing, re warning Kate off. But she had been informed by fleet command to do whatever she could to make Mike stay on Hammersley for the next twelve months and to be honest until he had been to fleet command she did not think he would have any issues with it.

When Kate came to visit her regarding why she never got her promotion, she was not sure what to tell her she had been given a reason but even Maxine felt that it was a below the belt reason not to give her the promotion. She had over the last five years done an excellent job as executive officer on Hammersley and had been commanding officer and acting commanding officer a number of times. To Maxine Kate was totally capable of taking over command, but she was pleased at the time on a personal level for Kate not to get that promotion.

Today though once the mail had arrived, things would change for two people that she knows and for her also.

For Kate being passed for promotion was something new to her, she had never been passed over before. This was all new to her, her first knock back within the navy for anything. IT was taking time, but over time she was warming back up to Mike and they had started to have meals together and spend time together outside of work. But finding out he had a son to Maxine and the talk while on some R and R about a connection they have had knocked her back again. She told Mike he was transparent but the more she thought about it of course they have a connection a son that they share and will always have it. It wasn't till they had found and rescued Ryan who was injured did she notice that there was something else with Mike, she thought he would be with his family but he never went with Maxine, Ryan and Bird to the hospital. This is when she started to realise that the type of connection she thought he was talking about was not the one he was talking about.

Little did Kate know that Maxine was in the process of reading a request that would start to turn her world, upside own in more ways than one.

Back at Navcom Maxine is going through her mail; she opens one letter and starts to read it.

**_To Commander Maxine White_**

**_I found your name on the Navy website as the commanding officer for the base in Cairns. I know my daughter Katelyn Elizabeth McGregor works out of your base. I am trying to get in touch with her but I do not have her contact details I am hoping that you might be able to fix up a meeting between the two of us._**

**_You may be wondering who I am, I am her mother Margaret Anne McGregor, I have not seen Kate since she left to join the Navy, but it is very important that I talk to her._**

**_Can you please let her know I need to speak to her you can contact me at the details below._**

**_Thank you for your time_**

**_Margaret McGregor _**

Maxine pickups her phone and rings Kate

"Kate, Maxine speaking I need you to come to my office please"

"May I ask why ma'am?'

"I will explain once you get here" Maxine then hangs up. Kate is left wondering what the hell is going on the last time Maxine was short and sweet with her. She was telling her off for having a relationship with Mike; well what she thought was a relationship.

Thirty minutes later Kate arrives at Navcom and heads straight to Maxine's office.

"Kate sit please"

"Ma'am why am I here?"

"This came today." Maxine passes over the letter she received today. Kate reads through it, her face pales.

"Ma'am I refuse to see her. And as far as I'm concerned I have no mother." Kate says to Maxine once she had finished reading the letter

"You sure about that Kate?"

"Yes I am sure. She was never a mother to me and whatever she has to say is not worth my time, you can reply to her and tell her I do not under any circumstances want any contact with her or from her."

"Ok I will do that, now how are you coping do you think Hammersley would mind sailing a few days earlier?"

"I'm not sure ma'am getting back to work will have to be done at some stage."

"Ok that is good, I want you to get in touch with your crew and explain to them that sadly due to Kingston having problems their leave has been cut short you sail in three days 1000 hours is your sail time."

"Will do what about Commander Flynn, shouldn't you be telling him this information?"

"Kate has Mike not told?"

"Told me what? I've not seen him since we had drinks after the ceremony."

"It's not for me to tell you Kate, you guys are sailing with a replacement CO and Kate your replacement will take over once this rotation is over with."

"He told you?" Kate looks at her in shock

"No the doctor at the base hospital rang me to inform me, and to make sure I knew that you will need a shore posting soon. Why does Mike know?" Kate looks down at her hands; Maxine can see the worry on her face.

"Yes" is quietly said from her

"Who's the father Kate?" Maxine asks, hoping it's not Mike's

"Jim Roth is the father and Mike didn't take the news to well when I informed him of it." _Now that explains why he's gone off like he has then _Maxine thinks to herself

"Do you know how far along are you?"

"About five weeks. I did a test two weeks ago but it came back negative but after the killing I went to the doctor not feeling well that is when I found out that I was, he said it might have been too early for the test to pick it up."

"Ok so we have a good eight weeks before we need to have you on light duties. Hammersley rotation is for that duration, you will have some shore leave off and on, if you need any help let me know."

"Thank you ma'am"

"Go home tell your crew, I will inform the CO and your new Medic of your current condition, do you want the others to know?"

"No I don't want anyone to know just yet, too much can happen in the first few months, I'll wait for now." _Ok that is weird she sounds like she is speaking from experience here, what isn't she telling me?_

"Ok I'll let them know not to tell anyone else. Also I will tee up a meeting with both of them before you sail so you can be introduced to them."

"Thank you Ma'am"

"Ok go home Kate rest tell the crew and I will see you back here in a few days."

Kate leaves Maxine office and heads home to inform the crew that they are sailing early. Maxine types up the reply to send off to Kate's mother.

_I can't understand why she doesn't want anything to do with her mother, you would think considering she is pregnant she would want her family around. Nothing I can do about it, it is her choice and I have to respect it._

Kate arrives home and texts the crew about them sailing in three days' time.

_Why did my mother send a letter to Maxine about needing to contact me, why now why after 18 years does she want to contact me, what the hell is she after? Does she not realise I don't want anything to do with her. I cut all ties the day I walked out on her and that life she had me living in._

_I so badly need Mike right now. I need him to hold, me tell me that it's all going to be ok, that he'll be there for me and for this baby. Why is he not returning to Hammersley? Have I really upset him that much by having Jim's baby?_

Three days later Kate is boarding Hammersley, the crew seem down and not as upbeat as they normally would be, all having been affected by Swains death. The replacement CO and Coxswain understand of the situation that unfolded not so long ago.

The crew notice the absent of Commander Flynn, they are informed that he has taken some extra personal time to deal with family matters.


	2. Chapter 2

Three days after Hammersley Mike returns to Cairns after being in Melbourne visiting his family. He has a few more days of leave before he returns to work, so far the shrink he has been seeing has recommended a desk job for now, which for Mike is what he wants. Less chance of running into Kate this way.

The first week of patrol was not too bad, between the FFV's and paperwork, Hammersley was kept semi busy. Kate was feeling ok, well as ok as one can be when the one you truly love has not returned any of your calls since you informed him of the pregnancy. She knew she should have waited but she felt she owed it to him to be honest with him.

Hammersley had only been at sea six days when a mayday call had them returning to base, some un expected shore leave for the crew was a welcome site, the crew even cheered up. Kate went to Navcom with the new CO Lieutenant Commander Richard Savy. As soon as she walked into Navcom she thought she could seem his aftershave, his smell. As they got closer to Maxine officer which is right beside his she was sure the sent was getting stronger, his door was semi open and as she was about to walk into Maxine office she heard his voice on the phone. She stopped in her tracks.

Maxine noticed that Kate had stopped just outside her door; she knew what would have made her stop.

"Lieutenant, you coming in?" Maxine says to her as she gets closer to her.

"Yes ma'am sorry about that something got my attention for a moment"

"No problem." Maxine replies as Kate enters her officer and the door closes behind them.

While in Mike's officer while on the phone a voice he's been trying hard to avoid is heard outside his office door. He stops mid-sentence, then he smells her perfume as it enters his office. He takes a deep breath to try and carm his racing heart. He hears a door shut and the voice on the other end of the line gets his attention back to what he was doing beforehand.

Unknown to Kate there has been someone watching her since Hammersley docked in port.

Mike is in his office, Maxine is in here. The new CO has taken a taxi back to his accommodation, while Kate heads to the underground car park. Even after the run in she had a few months ago here she still uses it. As she is about to get to her car someone jumps out and knocks her to the ground, they punch and kick her saying things over and over again to her. She doesn't see who it is but going from the voice it is male. A few minutes later the beating is over with and the person leaves. Kate is lying on the parking lot floor in agony her stomach hurts like hell; she notices blood on her uniform. She slowly makes her way over to her folder and gets her mobile out and presses speed dial one.

As she presses the send button, Maxine walks into Mike's office and starts talking to him, his mobile goes off and he answers it without looking at the screen.

"Mike?" Kate mangers to crook out. Maxine is watching Mike

"Kate why are you ringing me?" he asks her

"Been attacked, need help." She mangers to says, Mike hears the fear in her voice. He face changes Maxine sees the worry on his face

"Where are you?"

"Underground parking at headquarters" she gets out while in a lot of pain.

"Ok I'm on my way" he replies as he gets up out of his chair

"Mike it hurts." She replies before breaking down in tears.

"Hold on Kate I'm on my way." He replies before hanging up his phone, and placing it in his pocket

"Maxine call an ambulance Kate's been attacked."

"Where?"

"Here in the underground parking, I'm going to her" he replies as he quickly runs out of his office, taking the stairs. The other sailors notice Mike taking off. Maxine picks up Mike's office phone and rings for an ambulance and the police.

He gets to the underground parking lot and looks for Kate he finds her car and he races over to it he finds her curled up in a ball on the ground.

"Kate?" he says to her quietly, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face and behind her ear

"Helps on it's the way" he notices a number of cuts, abrasions and blood on her uniform. He also notices the way she is holding her stomach and has her legs curled up into herself, he also sees blood on her legs. His heart is feeling torn, at how someone could do this to her.

"It hurts Mike." She says with tears rolling down her face. He sees the pain on her face, and it is not often Kate admits to pain.

"Shhhhh it's alright help is on its way" he says to her and he sits down beside her, placing her head on his lap, as he rubs her back. Maxine then arrives and sees the state Kate is in.

"Mike the police and ambulance are on their way they'll be another five minutes before they get here." she replies to him. He just nods his head. Maxine stands back a bit to make sure that the ambulance can see where to go once they get underground.

"Mike it hurts."

"I know it does, but help is on its way." He replies trying hard not to call her honey.

"Mike I'm sorry?"

"Now's not the time we can talk later."

"Mike I don't feel we..." she starts to say before she blacks out

"Kate?" Mike says and notices her breathing has swallowed out and she not responding to him. He moves to kneel in front of her

"Kate honey wake up?" he says to her

"Come on wake up please." Maxine hears the pleading sounding of Mike's voice

"Came on don't do this to me not know, came on wake up." Maxine hears the emotion in his voice. The sound of the sirens can be heard and next there are people around Kate.

The medic can see her name tag and takes not of it in his head, and as he sees no dog tags on her so the medic asks the questions to the male that is beside her.

"Sir do you know her medical history, any allergies?"

"She's thirty five years old, around six weeks pregnant, no allergies, blood group A+, taken no medications at present that I know of. She was attacked and blacked out on me about two minutes before you arrived. Before she blacked out she was saying it hurts. She has no immediate family and I'm down as her medical proxy." Mike rattles off to the medic. Maxine stands back in surprise that Mike knows all this information off the top of his head. But what surprises her more is that Mike is down as her medical proxy.

The medics do a few more things with her before moving her onto the bed and putting her in the ambulance and without even asking Mike hops in with her.

"Mike ring me when you know more" Maxine says to him. He just nods his head, before the doors shut and the ambulance starts to head towards the hospital

"Sir before she blacked out did she say anything?"

"She was saying it hurts, it takes a lot for her to admit to pain, she was also holding her stomach and had her legs up into her chest. When she blacked out her breathing swallowed out, I tried to wake her but she didn't respond."

"Her full name please?"

"Katelyn Elizabeth McGregor" he says to them and it is noted down.

"And yours?"

"Michael James Flynn, but I prefer to be called Mike."

"Ok Mike it is, my name is Jane now do you know her date of birth?"

"Yes March 17th 1976." and he rattles it off to the medic

The medic does some more checks on Kate.

"Came on Kate honey don't do this now, you need to wake up." Mike whispers to her a lot of emotion is sounding from his voice and he tries not to cry. He feels so hopeless.

"Jane, would you say by the amount of blood loss down below that she has lost the baby?" he gets out to the medic

"Hard to say but most likely she has" she replies to him. Having dealt with the navy for a number of years with their sailors and others she knows they prefer the upfront honest opinion. She sees a lone tear fall down his face.

Not long later they arrive at the hospital.

Back at Navcom the police are taking photos of where Kate was laying, having got a few before the medics took her. They ask questions and follow Maxine to her office to ask more questions. Kate's stuff that was on the ground has been picked up and the police are holding it for now as they hope there might be something there that might help.

Everyone is left in shock when they find out that Kate had been attacked on Navy grounds. For Hammersley it is another blow in what has been a horrible year for them. Mikes kidnapping and near death, then the bombing, Dutchy nearly drowning, 2Dads being trapped in a sub, chasing down a terriost cell, the kidnapping of Charge, and then the death of Swain and Jim. Plus many other things that had gone on within the crew as well.


	3. Chapter 3

Once Kate blacked out she started to have flashbacks.

"_Daddy look," little Kate yells as she rides her bike around for the first time._

"_Wow pumpkin, see you can do it if you try hard enough," he replies._

"_Ok Katie darling, time for bed," her father says as he picks her up to take her to bed._

"_Story, daddy. Please?" _

"_Of course, sweetie. Which one will we read tonight?"_

* * *

She has flashbacks to the house she lived in with her parents and then that fateful day that her mother took her away to Australia, without saying being able to say goodbye to her father.

The police probe Maxine for answers. They ask questions, repeating them several different ways and she answers all the questions the same. She informs the police that Kate's ship docked a few hours before the attack and that she had been at Navcom for a debrief on their last mission, which was a mayday rescue. She mentions that just after she left her office, Maxine proceeded to the office next door and was was talking to Commander Flynn when they were interrupted by his mobile phone ringing. He told her to ring for an ambulance stating the Lieutenant McGregor had been attacked, and that he was going down to her.

Mike is still pacing the hospital waiting room when Dutchy arrives. The others in the room notice the arrival of a second person in uniform, but this one has a camo style uniform on.

"Sir?" he says. Mike stops in his tracks and turns towards the voice; the look on his face is enough for Dutchy to know things can't be good.

"How is she, Sir?" he asks. Mike sits down and places his elbows on his thighs, resting his head in his heads. Dutchy goes and sits beside him.

"I have no idea how she is or what they are doing to her," he replies.

"Sir, she's tough; a fighter. She'll be ok." Mike says nothing in reply and they sit there in silence.

_Mike goes into a daydream, remembering the the times they have spent together at Watson's Bay, here in Cairns and on Hammersley._

_God, if we were talking she would never have been down in the basement car park. She would have been in my office with me, or at least with me at the time, not alone. I could have protected her, then she wouldn't be losing another baby. She's got to make it. She has to pull through she just has to._

The moment Kate is wheeled in to resus they start working on her, taking x-rays, giving her blood and other medications. They send her off for a CT scan, ultrasound of her stomach, and anything else they can think of.

All her scans come back clear, but sadly the ultrasound to see if her baby has survived is negative. They do a internal scan to find out if the embryo is still inside or if she will need surgery and it confirms there is no trace of the embryo. Her bleeding has slowed since they gave her medication and they decide to wait and see if surgery is required. The blood transfusion has helped stabilise her heart rate, blood pressure and her breathing, but the most worrying part is the fact that she is still unconscious.

Her X-rays show that no broken bones, but a hairline crack on her ulna. They clean up her cuts and use butterfly stitches on the wounds that require them. Once she is cleaned up she is moved to ICU to be monitored.

* * *

"_Mummy, I miss daddy. When can we go home?"_

"_We are home, sweetie. This is our home now."_

* * *

She remembers crying for hours on end. She missed her father, her friends, her school. She has flashes of doing dishes, making beds, strange men coming and going, watching her mother sleep, drink, be demanding.

Two and half hours after Kate arrived at the hospital a nurse appears in the doorway of the waiting room to speak to her family. Mike turns and stands up, Dutchy stays sitting, but does turn his head towards the voice

"Yes?" Mike says.

"We're in the process of transferring her up to ICU. Once we have her settled in there the doctor will be down to see you." The nurse turns to walk away.

"How is she?" he asks.

"The doctor will tell you when he sees you," she replies before walking off.

_Why the hell won't they tell me anything. This is so damn frustrating._ Mike thinks before he sits back down.

"Petty Officer, have we heard anything?" The voice brings Mike out of his thoughts, but he doesn't move. His head is sitting in his hands and a few lone tears slip out from his eyes.

"Commander White, the only update we have had they were transferring her to ICU. The nurse refused to tell the boss anything," Dutchy says as he looks at Mike. It does not go past Maxine how the Hammersley buffer called Mike 'boss'.

"How has he been?"

"Like that since I got here, but when I arrived he was pacing."

"Ok, you can head off now."

"Ma'am, will you inform us once you both know how she is? The rest of the crew are down at Hammersley, and I'm heading there as well," he asks as he gets up out of his chair.

"Sure thing."

"Thank you ma'am," Dutchy says and they salute each other before he leaves the waiting area. The whole exchange was witness by the others in the room. It isn't hard to miss when someone in a pristine white uniform walks in and is addressed in a formal manner.

Maxine sits down beside Mike. She looks at how he is sitting in the chair; his face in his hands and his body hunched over.

"Mike?" she says, hoping to get his attention. It takes a few moments before Mike even begins to move, slightly turning his head to look at Maxine. When Maxine sees his face she can tell he has been crying. His eyes are watery and he looks worried and lost.

"Mike, have you had anything to eat or drink since arriving here?" He just shakes his head.

"Do you want me to get you anything?" she asks. He just shakes his head again and looks back down at his hands.

Maxine gently puts a hand on his back and gives him a gentle rub

"Mike, she's strong, she'll make it through this," she says in a reassuring voice. He says nothing in reply to her statement.

Mike sits there going over things in his head.

_God, way is this happening to her; to us. I should have listened to Mum. She told me to tell her how I felt, that I would be there for her and the baby, but I disappeared . She told me she was pregnant to Jim on our way home from the pub, I dropped her off, said goodnight then drove away and never returned her calls. Why did I do that to her? Why? God, I just hope when she wakes up she'll talk to me; that she won't kick me out of her room._

It is another thirty minutes before anyone comes back

"Family of Kate McGregor?" a nurse says to the room. Maxine and Mike both stand.

"Follow me please," she repeats. Maxine allows Mike to go first while she follows them towards the elevators.

Mike pays no attention to what floor the nurse selects and when the elevator stops he follows her to a room.

"Only two at a time can be with her. The doctor will be in shortly to talk to you both. We also have very strict visiting hour, please be aware of them," the nurse informs them.

"You do realise that he won't leave her until she is awake, and even then he may not leave."

"You had better talk to the doctor about that," she replies before turning and leaving the room.

When Mike gets to the room, he sees Kate asleep on the bed with an IV line inserted in her arm. He also notices that she has a couple of other machines hooked up to her. He goes to the chair that is in the corner and moves it closer, sitting beside her and taking her hand in his. Several minutes later the doctor appears in the room and they make their introductions before the doctor explains what is going on.

"Her injuries from the attack are not as bad as they could have been. She has a slight hairline crack on her ulna, some deep bruising and a few cuts which we have cleaned up. She was given a blood transfusion due to the hemorrhaging she was having and some medication to stop the bleeding, but sadly she has lost the baby. We also have her on IV antibiotics, fluids and pain relief. The scans of her brain show no trauma, and at this stage we are unsure when she will wake up. She was lucky there was no internal bleeding or injuries to her internal organs, but if the bleeding does not stop within the next twenty four hours we will need to take her into surgery to do a procedure to clean out her womb and bring her bleeding under control, but we would prefer her body did it itself."

"Talk to her," he suggested. "It can help to hear familiar sounds. Also, she can have one person staying with her overnight."

"The nurse said otherwise," Maxine says.

"She is new to this hospital and is still learning all the rules we have. For navy personnel we have different regulations and the nurse only started on this ward today, so just bear with her while she learns."

"No problem, we can understand that."

There is silence in the room as they both watch Mike looking at Kate, her hand gentle held within his. The doctor checks the monitors and takes some notes before stepping out, as he does Maxine follows him

"Doctor, will she wake up?"

"There is no reason she shouldn't."

"Do you know why?"

"Hard to say, but most likely it would have been the pain she was in. She took several severe blows to her lower abdomen and I'm surprised she was not hurt more than she is. Personally, I think if you give her time and a friendly, familiar voice and she should wake up."

"Thank you, and doctor, can he have food and drink in that room? He's not eaten for hours and I need to get something into him."

"No problem. Is he her partner; the baby's father?"

"No, they work together, have done for the last five years. They just had a rough few months work wise, but they are extremely close to each other." He nods his head. He knows what Maxine is talking about; the deaths of Jim and Swain were all over the news. The doctor heads off to check on other patients while Maxine heads to the cafeteria to get Mike a coffee, some juice and water for later. She looks over the food wondering what he might like to eat. While she is trying to decide, she rings Hammersley to let the crew now how Kate is. RO takes the call and Maxine gives him the details to relay back to the rest of the crew.


	4. Chapter 4

Mike sits in the room and says nothing while the doctor talks. He notices the doctor check the various monitors and then leave, he also hears Maxine leave as well.

He hears the soft click of the door as it closes and turns his head, relieved to find no one else in the room.

A few minutes later he stands and places a gentle kiss on Kate's forehead.

"I'm so sorry. I should've been with you," he says before sitting back down.

"God, how can I make this up to you." As a few tears begin falling down his face he reaches for her, gently rubbing his thumb up and down the soft skin on the back of her hand.

"Kate, honey, you need to wake up. We need to talk. I need to be able to say sorry to you," he pleads.

When Maxine arrives back in the room it is silent, bar the machines that are monitoring her vitals. She moves till she is beside Mike and places the juice and water on the table beside the bed, squatting down to be at eye level with him before starting to talk.

"Mike, here drink the coffee. I got you some juice and water for later, as well as a sandwich." She passes him the coffee and the sandwich and he takes them and glances at her briefly before returning his focus to Kate.

"Mike, you need to eat and drink. If not for yourself, for her. She's going to need you once she wakes up." He looks at Maxine again before taking a small sip of the coffee and then a bite of the sandwich.

Maxine watches as Mike slowly eats the sandwich and drinks the coffee, the machines humming in the background providing the only sound in the room. She notices that, as soon as he has finished the sandwich, his hand moves towards Kate's hand lying on the bed. A nurse enters to check her obs and her state of bleeding before leaving the room.

"Mike, why don't you go home and change. I'll stay with her."

"No thank you, Max. I would prefer to stay here till she wakes up."

"Do you want me to go to your place and get you a change of clothes?" The room is silent as he thinks.

"Mike, you can't stay in those clothes, your uniform is stained. Let me get you something to change into, please," she asks again.

"In my office you will find a garment carry bag. It's beside my laptop bag. Bring me that and my laptop, I will finish off the work I was doing before this."

"Don't worry about work."

"Maxine, it will give me something to do. Just do it, please. The garment bag has everything I need in it."

"Does it have normal clothes or whites in it?" she asks as she moves toward the door.

"Whites and DPNUs. I have it there just in case."

"Mike, what about normal clothes?"

"They'll be fine for now, Maxine," he says without even looking at her. She leaves the room and through the slightly ajar door, Mike heard her inform the staff on the desk that she is heading out for a little while and will be back later. She also asks them to organise a cot or reclining chair for Mike to sleep on.

Back in the room, Mike is busy studying Kate's hand and rubbing his thumb over the back of it that he does not notice that she has woken up.

Kate starts to wake when she feels rubbing on her hand. The scent of Mike is in the room and as she comes to she feels the unmistakable sensation of Mike's hand interlocked with hers. His thumb is rubbing the back of her hand as she opens her eyes and looks over at him, seeing him looking down at their joined hands. She notices how quiet the room is bar the machine that is beeping beside her, which she looks at. She feels something wet hit the back of her hand, looking over at him and seeing another tear fall from his face. She moves her hand to his face at the same time he turns his head to look at her. Her hand cups the side of his face, wiping the tears off his cheek as she stares at his glassy eyes. They look at each other not saying anything for a few minutes, her hand still on the side of his face.

"I should get your doctor," he finally manges to say.

"No. Not yet, please," she says quietly as she moves in the bed.

"Careful honey," he says, getting out of his chair to make sure she is ok.

"Mike?" she asks.

"Yeah?" A lone tear falls down his face and he knows she's going to ask the one question he wished he had a different answer to give to her.

"I lost the baby, didn't I?" she asks sadly, tears forming in her eyes as she thinks about it. He nods his head unable to verbally give her an answer. As she starts to cry, he can't help but lay down beside her and pull her into his chest. He rubs her back, whispering words of comfort to her, till her tears subside. Maxine arrives back and just before she pushes the door open she notices Mike on the bed with Kate, his arms wrapped around her and she hears her softly crying in to his chest. She stays standing there, waiting for the right moment to enter.

"I'm so sorry for putting you through all of this again. It's not fair on you to have to deal with this, more so since it's not your baby I lost this time," she says, trying to control her own emotions. He moves his hand and places it under her chin, lifting her head up so he can look at her face.

"Who else will be here for you; be able to understand what it is you're going through. That baby may not have had my DNA but it was a part of you and regardless of what you think, I am going to be here for you like I was last time. We'll get through this together. We've done it once, we can do it again." He emphasises his statement by placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Thanks," she gets out.

"Now honey, will you let me go get the doctor."

"No, I don't want you to move. Stay, please," she begs.

"Ok, I'll stay right where I am. For now, though."

"Thank you," she weakly gets out before placing her head back on his chest and drawing in his scent, feeling safe in his arms.

Maxine is standing outside the door, not sure what to think of the conversation she has just overheard. She is still in her own world when a nurse walks past her and straight into the room. She is brought out of her thoughts by the nurse walking back out and to the doctor that is just down the hall. They re-enter the room and Maxine decides to wait outside while the doctor and nurse are in the room talking to Kate. About twenty minutes later, they leave the room and Maxine decides to enter. Mike is still on the bed but not in a reclining position. They are sitting on the bed, the back of it having been raised up. Kate is wrapped gently in Mike's arms; her head buried into his chest. When he sees her he goes to move.

"Stay there, Mike," she says.

"I have your stuff here for you and Dutchy got some stuff together for Kate. How is she?" she says, showing Mike the bags she brought with her and placing them on the cot that is now in the room.

"She's awake and upset, but that is to be expected."

"How much time do you two need off?" The question throws Mike.

"Pardon?" he says, a tad shocked at what he heard from Maxine and not sure if he heard right.

"I asked how much time do you two need off from work."

"The doctor said she would need a couple of weeks to let her body rest and get over what has happened before returning to work."

"Ok then, you both got two weeks off. Mike, while I was out the police rang they want to talk to you both as soon as they can."

"Ok, I'll give them a ring in the morning."

"No need to ring us in the morning, Mike, we're already here," announces Agent Murphy. Mike just shakes his head.

"Long time no see, Agent Murphy. Did you draw the short straw, did you?"

"Sadly, yes. This is Agent Morgan. We've come to ask a few questions. Is she up to it?"

"I'm not deaf, Agent Murphy. I can hear you and I am right here in the room, so you can ask me yourself," Kate says having moved, her back is lightly pressed against Mike's chest and the bed. Mike does not move from his position, so she can look at both the agents and Maxine. Maxine gets the box of tissues off the table beside the bed and places them on Kate's lap, so she has easy access to them.

"Ok Lieutenant, do you think you can answer a few questions for us?"

"I will try and Agent Murphy, don't call me Lieutenant. I do have a name and it's Kate," she replies, a tad cross.

"Ok, Kate. Can you go through with us, what you had been doing today before you got attacked?" There is a few seconds of silence in the room before she starts to talk.

"I was out on Hammersley. We were on routine patrol when we got a mayday call today at around 0030 hours. We responded to the call and got to the location about 0200 hours this morning. We found the vessel was unable to get back to shore on its own, so we hooked up a tow line and started the tow back to base here in Cairns. We started the tow about 0300 hours and the occupants of the vessel where put down in austere where they slept. I returned to my cabin and slept till 0600 hours when I got up and had breakfast before heading to the bridge. We arrived at port around 0830 hours. I had some reports to finish, which I did before heading to Navcom in my own car with Lieutenant Commander Savy accompanying me. We both met up with Commander White in her office for a report on the mayday and other work related events from our patrol. Our meeting was at 1030 hours. I left her office about an hour later and headed down to the underground parking at headquarters, on my own. I got to my car and walked around to the driver's side when the next thing I remember is falling to the ground..." Kate stops and some tears fall down her cheeks. She takes a tissue and wipes her face where the tears are falling.

"Take your time Kate," Mike gently says.

"I heard a male voice while I was being kicked and punched. He was shouting at me; repeating some things a few times before he took off. Once he was gone I crawled over to my black folder and got my mobile out of it before pressing speed dial one which connected me with Mike."

"What did this voice say?" Agent Murphy asks. She looks down at her hands before turning her head and looking Mike in the eye.


	5. Chapter 5

**_There is the use of a bad word in this, so please be aware of it._**

The room is silent while they wait for Kate to get enough courage to speak; to inform agent Murphy what was said to her.

"You can tell them," Mike encourages her.

"He repeated that it was all my fault, and that I don't deserve to be a mother..." There is silence again in the room and Kate is wipes a few tears off the side of her face.

"He also said '_I hope like hell you lose this baby, like you did your last one, bitch, because you deserve it after everything you've done'_, before taking off." There is silence in the room and the other agent notes down what Kate has said. Maxine looks at the two of them, watching how Mike whispers something to her, she nods her head before leaning more to his body.

"What does he mean by _'like you did your last one_'?" asks Agent Murphy. The room is silent again, Mike and Kate look at each, her eyes are begging Mike to tell this part of the story.

"Kate had a miscarriage ten years ago," replies Mike to the room.

"Under what circumstances did that one occur?"

"She got attacked on her way back from the shops one afternoon," Mike replies again. Agent Murphy is not looking happy that Mike is answering these questions.

"Was a report lodged?"

"Yes, a police report was filed in Sydney" Mike replies again.

"Kate, do you think the two attacks could be linked?"

"I don't know."

"Did the person who attacked you last time say anything to you?"

"No. They knocked me to the ground, kicked me a few times then got my wallet took out all my cash and left. The police thought at the time it was a robbery. I wasn't the first one to have it happen in that area," she says quietly.

"Kate, does the father of the baby you lost today know?"

"Agent Murphy, the baby's father passed away a few weeks ago," Maxine says for them both

"Does his family know?"

"Of cause his family know he's dead, and most of Australia know how it happened, but about the baby, no. Only a select few knew I was even pregnant, and only two know who the father was."

"And who are they?"

"Mike, Commander White, the new CO and Medic on Hammersley and my doctors here know I was pregnant. Mike and Commander White are the only two beside me who knew who the father was."

"Kate, I'm going to ask a few questions regarding what happened ten years ago to see if it could be related to today's events."

"I totally doubt that they are related."

"Anyway, did you inform the father last time?"

"Yes."

"How did he handle the news, when you informed him?'

"Which news? The one were he thought he was going to be a father, or a few days later to have it all taken away from him. How do you think he took it? Or why don't you just ask him yourself, since he's in the damn room with us. Oh, and before you even suggest it, I totally doubt he had anything to do with my attack today," she snaps back at the agents.

"Honey, calm down please," Mike says softly, looking at her face while gently rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

"You sure about that? With the father out of the way there was nothing stopping him."

"Agent Murphy, if you have questions regarding the father of her last child can you ask me directly, since it was me and she has told you this. She's been through enough today without you thinking I had anything to do with it. Personally, I think it is best if we let her rest. You can ask her more questions tomorrow," he replies.

"Kate, is there anyone else you can think of that might hold a grudge against you that would know about both pregnancies?" There is silence in the room while they wait for Kate to answer. She uses this time to think but she can't think of anyone who might do this.

"Maybe Ms Cruise, but she was locked up with this second attack. She seems to know a lot about people that isn't in their files. Also anyone that Mike and I have manged to put away, or send back to their own country for illegally fishing. There is most likely a long list of people who hate me, Agent Murphy. Those drug runners that tried to take Bird and Ryan or the ones we thought killed our CO months ago that I tracked down and took in to custody, what about them? But as far as knowing my back history, there are not many who know, and Mike is the only one that I know of that knew about both."

"What about Commander White? Could she of done this, since she and Commander Flynn do have a child together?" he asks.

"Agent Murphy, Mike might be my nineteen year old son's biological father, but there is nothing else going on between us bar friends. Also, for the record, I had no idea about her having a miscarriage before as it's not on her file."

"Just got to check these things, Commander White."

"Check all you like but you will find I have nothing to do with it. Kate, the letter we got a couple of weeks ago from your mother, would she do something like this?"

"Um, to be honest I have no idea. But if she did then how did she get the information? Last time I never saw a doctor at a hospital. As you well know, Maxine, Mike's dad is a doctor and his mum a nurse; they treated me at home. No medical records at any hospital apart from those on file at Mike's dad's practice."

"Where is this practice?"

"Sydney," Mike replies as he gets a card out of his wallet and passes it over to Agent Murphy. The agents look at it before placing it in the folder that they have with them.

"Did you not go to a hospital afterwards?"

"Not after the attack. I manged to get up and finish walking back to Mike's parents' house. When I returned, Mike's parents rang the police and it went from there. Look can we finish this off tomorrow? I'm sore and tired, and I really would like some rest," she replies, trying not to yawn.

"Ok, we'll come back tomorrow some time to ask you some more questions. Mike, we will want to talk to you as well, so we can exclude you from the investigation. Oh and we need your clothes too, just in case they have any evidence on them that might be of help."

"Sure, no problem. I will just go into the bathroom to get changed," he says as he moves off the bed.

"No, Mike. You need to do it in our presence please, so we can make sure you don't tamper with anything," replies agent Murphy.

Mike goes to his garment bag and pulls out his DPNUs. He takes off his medal clips and name tag then unbuttons his shoulder rank tags, removing them before he unbuttons the shirt and places it in the bag that Agent Morgan has open for him.

"Mike, we also need to take your singlet as well," Agent Murphy says after noticing some blood on it. Mike takes it off, and then gets out one of his grey shirts from the bag and puts it on. His dog tags rattle as he does this which gets him thinking. He turns to talk to Kate, remembering something from earlier in the day.

"Kate, where are your dog tags?"

"Don't you have them with the rest my stuff?" she replies, wondering why he is asking her this question.

"No, you never had them on." There is silence in the room.

"Mike, I had them on when I left Hammersley. Agent Murphy, were they found at all around my car?" she asks now a tad worried that her dog tags are missing.

"No, they weren't," he replies. Mike removes his pants and places them in the bag before putting on his DPNU pants. Agent Morgan makes some notes from their current conversation.

"Don't worry, Kate. I'm sure they'll turn up," Mike says as he sits beside her on the bed.

"What if they took my I.D. from my wallet? What if I blacked out during the attack and they took my dog tags off me?"

"We'll look into it. We have your wallet at the station. We will go through it, photograph what is in it and show you the pictures tomorrow. You can then tell us if anything is missing from it."

"Thank you," she says before the agents leave the room

Maxine stays for a few more minutes to find out what they might like to eat. Neither of them feel particularly hungry but after some sweet talking they agree to something. She goes off to get what they have asked for, leaving the two alone in the room.

"Kate, you wouldn't think I had this done to you, do you?" he asks sounding worried, standing by the window looking at the view of the water from Kate's room.

"No, not at all."

"You sure about that?" he says, turning his head to look at her.

"Yes, Mike. I'm sure. You saw what I went through last time, there is no way I could see you putting me through that again."

"Thank you."

"But to be honest Mike, and this might sound not very nice more so coming from me, I'm pleased God's taken away the baby. I wasn't sure if I could handle going through with it."

"In what way?"

"Well, the reminder that it is Jim's and not your child I was carrying was hard enough to deal with, then I asked you to be there, be the father. While you were away I realised how selfish I was asking you to be the father of a child that wasn't yours at all. Loving it and cherishing it as your own when you thought he had something to do with me calling everything off."

"Well he was the reason, wasn't he?" he asks, turning to look back out the window again. A few tears fall down his face.

"No, he wasn't. We only got together just after I found out that Ryan was your son-" Kate doesn't finish what she is saying and the room is silent again. Mike is about to say something when a nurse comes in and does her checks on Kate. As she leaves, Maxine enters and feels the tension in the air. She notices Mike is standing over by the window and doesn't even look at her or talk when she informs them that their food is here. She pulls the table over towards Kate's bed and the allows Kate to get at what she wants before saying her goodbyes and leaving the two of them alone again.

Kate eats some food and watches Mike standing by the window, looking out.

"Mike, you should eat something."

"No, thank you."

"Mike, please. Just eat something."

"I said no, Kate," he replies sharply. The room is silent again, Kate is too worried to ask him what's wrong.

"I think I'll go home," he says sadly.

"Mike, don't go. Please," she begs him.

"Why not?" he spits out, still looking out the window. He is unable to look at her in case what she says is not what her eyes say to him.

"Mike?"

"Why shouldn't I go, Kate? You never told me why you cancelled everything. Then when I thought things might be looking up for us, you were actually with Jim. I felt so used. The day of the memorial for Swain and Jim, you tell me that you could only imagine marrying one person, then that afternoon you tell me you are pregnant with Jim's baby and that you want me to help you bring it up. We had spend two whole days together and you never said a thing, which has had me wondering whether or not you overheard my conversation to my mother that morning." He turns to look at her and her eyes tell him everything he needs to know. She did hear it, she heard everything.

"Then why are you here now?" The room is silent yet again. He doesn't respond to her question straight away.

"Well, maybe you should be asking yourself why you never told me your mother has been back in touch again, why you never told them she tried to contact you five years ago, when you first came to Cairns, or why you never want to have anything to do with her," he snaps. He moves away from the window and looks at her

"Look, you know why I'm here. The same reason I come every time you've been in hospital for the last five years. I don't understand why you have ever doubted my love for you, that I wouldn't push to get off the boat so we could be together. It seems towards the end that I was the only one fighting for us; for the future, the dreams I thought involved you and me together, a family," he says softly. She sees that his eyes are all glassy and his cheeks look wet. He wipes his face with his hand.

"I'm so sorry, I was afraid of being hurt again," she says before breaking down in sobs. He moves towards the bed and sits down on the edge, pulling her into his chest.

"Why are you afraid of being hurt again?" he asks.

"It's not the first time around for us, Mike."

"I know that, but why do you think I would hurt you again?"

"You did it once before, what's stopping you doing it again?" she says, tears still falling down her face. He pulls her even closer to his chest, holding her tight. She responds by wrapping one of her arms around his waist and burying her head further into his chest. They hold each other, providing the much needed comfort and contact they both want. Before long, they have both fallen asleep holding each other. This is how the nurse finds them when she shows someone to the room. They both smile and leave the room, allowing them both to sleep in peace.


	6. Chapter 6

**This is a response to Karla who left me some lovely feedback. Most if not all my stories are OOC - Out of Character it is just the way I write and I think I forgot to add at the start of this one that it was another OOC story. When I wrote this story it did go to a beta who went through it several times with me before it was posted, but also I did write this story a year ago and in that time my writing has improved more since this was written. Thank you for leave your views and I do appreciate it, I'm just sorry you do not like my writing style but then again we can;t please everyone. As this story is already finished and completed I won't be changing anything in it par the odd spelling mistake if I find them.**

**Thanks to those who have left reviews and also following this story :)**

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The following morning Maxine is in her office reading through Mike and Kate's files, trying to find out as much as she possibly can about the two of them and what has been going on with them. All she can find is that for the last five years they have worked together and five years before that Mike requested some time off for family reasons, around the same time Kate did. They were both working out of two different towns, and serving on two totally different types of naval vessels; no one would have thought anything of it.

"What the hell have you two gotten yourselves involved with?" she says to herself, not noticing someone is standing at the door.

"You talking about Mike and Kate?" the person in the doorway asks as they enter and shut the door behind them. Maxine is startled from her thoughts, looking up see that it is Captain Steve Marshall.

"Ah, hi Sir. Yes, Sir, I was," she quickly gets out.

Steve walks over to the desk and sits down in a chair.

"Right, explain to me in detail what happened here yesterday, because the brass is now even more concerned that this has happened twice within several months," Steve says. Maxine explains what happened and what she heard being said last night in Kate's hospital room when they were speaking to the police. She also reveals how she is struggling to find anything that could be of help to the police. Steve and Maxine try to think of ways to help and how to approach the subject, but before they can go into too much detail, Agent Murphy and Agent Morgan arrive to talk about yesterday and how they have interviews set up with both Mike and Kate for later in the day.

The agents talk with Steve and Maxine trying to work out what, or who, would do such a thing. By the end of the meeting they have a long list of people who both have put away over the last five years, but over time they have been able to narrow it down. It is a shock to Maxine how Steve would easily put both Ms Cruise and also Kate's mother on the list. He explains how every year she would write and ask for Kate to get in contact with her. After the first letter came and she said no, he never replied to any of them or informed Kate that she had tried again each year to contact her. He was not surprised when Maxine said she had sent a letter a few weeks ago and that Maxine had replied to it, after informing Kate about it.

**Back at the hospital.**

As Kate stirs in Mike's arms, he feels her moving and also starts to wake up. He hears the sound of birds outside and the noise of traffic as he comes to and opens his eyes to find Kate still snuggled up in his arms. He notices the morning sun filtering in through the partly open curtain, remembering he had forgotten to close it properly the night before. He turns to look back and finds her looking up at him. He can't help himself and leans down and places a kiss on her lips, seeing the smile on her face as he pulls away.

"Sorry about last night, I shouldn't have reacted like I did," he says.

"No, you are allowed to be like that. We have a lot to talk about, but right now I think I would prefer to find out when I can get out of here and go home. This bed is far too small for the both of us."

"Sorry, I wasn't going to fall asleep on your bed."

"Don't be sorry, it's the best sleep I've had in ages," she smiles. The room is silent again, both enjoying being in each other's company without having to use words. Kate is content to be relaxing on the bed in the arms of Mike. They stay curled up together when the nurse walks in to see if they are ok and to get Kate up to have a shower and changed.

An hour later, Kate comes out of the shower to find Mike busy working away on his laptop, with some files on the cot beside him.

"You doing work?" she questions when she sees what he is doing.

"Yep. Sadly I need to get these reports finished. I was in the process of doing them yesterday," he replies, not even looking up from what he is typing on his laptop.

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Yes, have some breakfast. The doctor will be here soon and we have to meet up with the police later today. If you're allowed out we will go to them, or they will came here," he replies looking at her, showing her the food that has been brought in for her. She lifts the lid and screws her face up at it.

"Bird's cooking looks far more appetizing than this." This causes Mike to laugh.

"Well, it's true. She can cook, even if she can't make a proper cup of coffee yet."

"Eat your banana, you need something in your system," he replies before going back to the laptop and typing away. She picks up the banana and eats it.

"Kate, can I ask something?" Mike asks after a few minutes of silence in the room, while still typing away.

"Yeah, I suppose so?"

"Your bleeding, how is that going?" he asks, sounding a tad unsure if he should ask these sorts of questions.

"Had worse," she replies quietly. He pushes away the table that has the laptop on it and pats his lap. She understands what he means and walks over, sitting down on his lap as his arms wrap around her waist and hers go around his neck.

"That is good, I was concerned," he replies, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Their foreheads touch and they just look at each other, not saying anything.

"We'll get through this together, ok? You have to trust me and not be afraid. I'm not going to run away, or hurt you. Not like last time, I promise," he says softly before placing a kiss on her lips. A lone tear falls down her face and he wipes the tear off her cheek with his thumb.

"Don't cry honey, please," he says, emotion sounding in his voice at the sight of her crying over what he has said.

"Sorry, I'm just not use to males sticking around, that is all. It might take some time for me to believe it."

"That's ok, I understand."

"But I do wish Dutchy had found normal clothes in my cabin for me to wear and not my DPNUs," she says with a small smile .

"Well, I bet your normal clothes are in your other bag that is in your car back at headquarters. Plus we look alike now, both in the same uniform. I don't look out of place in the room anymore," he grins. There is a few more minutes of silence in the room while Mike thinks about what he wants to ask her.

"Look, I was wondering, and this might be a bit bold of me, but I would prefer it if you came and stayed at my place when you get out of here. Till we catch who did this to you."

"And that would be a excellent idea," the doctor says as he enters the room, not giving Kate time to answer, just in case she says no to the idea.

"I don't have a problem with you going home today Kate, but I don't want you alone for the next five days, just in case you black out again from the concussion that you suffered. Also, I noticed in your notes that your bleeding has subsided greatly, which is good news. That means the surgery we spoke about yesterday won't need to be done after all. You will be a fair amount of pain and discomfort over the next few days, so don't be afraid to use the painkillers that I will write a script out for. If you have any problems or questions, please feel free to ring the ward here and ask one of the nurses, they will be able to help. But remember, Kate, you're off work for the next two weeks. No going all heroic on us and returning to Hammersley before we clear you. If you get bored maybe do some of that paperwork I see Mike has spread out over that cot," the doctor says, pointing towards the cot. Kate is relieved that she can go home. Even if it is to Mike's place, it is better than being stuck in the hospital. Once they have finished talking with the doctor, Mike rings Agent Murphy to organise a time to go down to talk. They pack up everything and leave about an hour later, after signing the paperwork for release and getting the script filled.

Once they leave the hospital they stop off at Kate's place, getting anything that she might need. She changes out of her uniform and into normal clothes, packing a bag and walking back downstairs to Mike before heading off to his place. Once there, Mike shows her to the spare room and tells her that if she wants she can either sleep there or in his bed, leaving it up to her to decide. She decides to have another lie down before heading off to talk to the police. While she is sleeping, Mike rings Maxine to let her know that Kate is out of hospital and staying with him. He says that he will be in later to pick up more paperwork, telling her that if he is going to be stuck at home with not much else to do, then he can do some work. While on the phone, she informs him that Steve is up to help find out what is going on and also to look into increasing the security at headquarters, and that they both want to speak to them about it all. Mike agrees to them coming over, but tells Maxine that if she wants to talk she had better bring something good for dinner, and no alcohol as Kate is not allowed any for a few days. She lets Mike know she will bring the paperwork with her when they come around later.

Once off the phone, he goes and changes into normal clothes before going to make himself a sandwich and a coffee. Not long after he has finished eating, Agent Murphy and Agent Morgan arrive at the house to talk to them both. The agents had spoken to Maxine after Mike rang and decided to visit them at home instead of bringing them down to the police station.

Mike shows them into the house, shutting the door behind them as they head through to the lounge.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks to those still leaving feedback :)**

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"Look Mike, I know we haven't seen eye to eye in the past but I do want to catch this person," says Agent Murphy

"That is good to know. Do either of you want something to drink?" Mike asks before going to get their drinks and sitting back down in the lounge.

"So Mike, what were you doing yesterday, before you got the phone call from Lieutenant McGregor?"

"Well, I was home here till just after 0800 when I headed into work. I work at headquarters now and I arrived there around 0830, went to my office and started on what ever needed to be done. When I first got to work there were several reports that I needed to go over and approve, also some that needed writing. Around 1020 I received a phone call, which I was on the phone for about twenty minutes before hanging up and sorting out what I needed to do from that call. Maxine arrived in my office about 1145. She was asking me to type up a report when my mobile rang and I answered it."

"And was that call from Lieutenant McGregor?"

"Yes it was from Kate, telling me she had been attacked. Once I found out where she was I instructed Maxine to ring for an ambulance while I went down to her."

"Where did you find her?"

"In the underground parking at headquarters, curled up in a ball on the ground beside her car."

"And how did she seem to you?"

"She was crying and complaining that she hurt," he gets out.

"Did you see anyone hanging around when you arrived or were with her?"

"No I didn't, but to be honest I wasn't looking for anyone else when I first arrived in the car parking area then I was just concentrating on her," he replies to Agent Murphy.

"Now, your relationship with Kate. What has that been like of late?"

"Complicated is properly the best way to describe it." There are a few minutes of silence while Agent Murphy makes some notes on his pad.

"Yesterday both you and Lieutenant McGregor said you where the father of the first child she lost, is that correct?"

"Yes, it is."

"I do need to ask this next question so don't take it to heart too much, it is a standard one to ask."

"Sure, go ahead."

"Would you do anything to hurt Lieutenant McGregor or her unborn child, since we have already established you were the father of her first child she lost." Mike sits there trying not to snap, knowing full well the agent has to ask this.

"No way would I do that. Regardless of my feelings towards the person who got her pregnant, I would never, ever put her through losing another child. Agent Murphy, have you ever lost a child?"

"No, I haven't."

"Well it's not a nice feeling to go through. Until you have been through that, you can't fully understand how if feels and why you can't put someone through that pain again."

"Ok Mike, but it would benefit you if she lost the child, wouldn't it?"

"No, it wouldn't. She asked me to be there for her and the child; be the child's father. Now I'm the one left with picking up the pieces again. Putting her back together so she can keep going on, how is that benefiting me?" he replies crossly. He gets up from the couch, moves to the sliding doors and looks out over his backyard before turning to face the agents and offering a suggestion.

"Look, she most likely won't tell you this information, but it would be best to look into her mother and see if she is behind this."

"And what makes you think she would be behind this?"

"Kate had only just transferred to Cairns when a letter addressed to our Commanding Officer at the time, Steve Marshall, arrived. She refuses to talk to her mother, and I can fully understand her point of view. But unknown to Kate, each year her mother writes again asking her to get in contact. Normally Steve would tell me then throw the letter away, but this year Maxine replied to it, something we've never done before. Judging by what Kate has told me, and what I know to have been in those letters, her mother is not very nice."

"Is there anyone else who may want to hurt her?"

"There is a long list, Agent Murphy, as you are most likely well aware. Kate and I have put away two big drug bosses within the last six to eight months, plus there was Ms Cruise and her dirty bomb. Between Kate and I, we stopped it from being a bigger death toll."

"Agent Murphy, Agent Morgan. Kate and I, we get these hard jobs, the high risks ones, because we are a great team. There are bound to be a number of people wanting to hurt either one of us because of it. Anywhere from the illegal fishing groups that we often send back over the line to drug busts and people smugglers. We even came across a group this year that were bringing in stolen artifacts via the water. The list is long, but to have that information about Kate, they have to be someone who has the resources to find out this sort of information, or employ someone to do the digging. For her first miscarriage, my father would have sent a letter to the Navy stating Kate was off work for a set period of time due to a bug she had. The real reason was never recorded in her Navy file. The only place that has that information is dad's practice, which if you ring him he will not say anything unless you have a warrant or Kate and I say otherwise."

"Mike, do you think the two attacks are related?"

"Nope, I don't think they are related at all. I think they using information they have about her to make it look like they are."

"And why would you say that?"

"Well last time it was three people who attacked her, and she was one of about six different people who got attacked, plus they also caught them," Mike replies as he comes to sit down on the couch again.

They ask Mike a few more questions about his activities over the last couple of weeks. He explains what he has been doing, where he has been and who he has been with.

Kate wakes from her nap, hearing voices coming from within the house. She stretches out and feels a small amount of pain, but gets up and heads toward the voices. As she enters the lounge the agents turn to look at her. Mike glances up and follows their gaze before walking over to greet her.

"How was your nap?"

"Ok, where did you put my painkillers?" Mike checks his watch to see if it is time for another dose.

"They're in the kitchen, why don't you sit down and I will get them for you. Do you want a sandwich as well?"

"I'll come with you and take them, and yes something to eat would be nice," she replies as she follows Mike into the kitchen. The agents watch how the two interact with each other. A few minutes later the couple return to the lounge, Kate with her sandwich and Mike with a tray of cold drinks for everyone.

"Kate, do you mind if we go over yesterday's events with you?"

"Yeah, I suppose so," she replies.

"So yesterday you were telling us what you did before your attack. What do you remember after making the phone call to Mike?" Kate sits there fiddling with her hands for a minute before she answer.

"I remember lying on the ground in lots of pain, then Mike's voice and him being beside me. Then nothing till I woke up in the hospital."

"Do you know if anyone else had came towards you before Mike got to you?"

"No, sorry, I don't remember much. I remember a number of kicks and punches. I have no idea how long it went for before ringing Mike."

"Mike, what time did you say you got the phone call from Kate?"

"Let me check," he says as he gets his mobile out of his pocket. Agent Murphy stares at the call received log on the screen in front of him, then looks at his notes. Mike clicks to what Agent Murphy as also realised; the difference between the time she left Maxine's office and the time she called. Kate can see something is not right by the look Mike has on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"Kate, you rang me about twenty minutes after leaving Maxine's office." Something clicks in Kate's brain.

"Oh God, no," she says, a hand going over her mouth. Mike moves over and kneels in front of her, placing his hands on the top of her legs.

"Honey, calm down. Breathe. It's going to be ok," he says. There are a few minutes of silence between the four while Kate gets herself back under control.

"She said she'd make me pay; make me suffer for what I've done," Kate says, looking down at her hands.

"Honey, who said this to you?" Tears are rolling down her face and she wipes them away using the back of her hand. She lifts her head to look straight at Mike.

"Madeline Cruise."

"When?" asks Agent Murphy.

"After we locked her up in Austere. She repeated it again when I went and saw her after the explosion. I thought nothing of it till now."

"Ok. I think we will follow this lead up, and I will look into the other ones you suggested Mike."

"Thank you for coming here to do this," Mike says to the agents as they shake hands.

"No problem, and you know the drill?"

"Yes, don't go anywhere without leaving forwarding contact details, just in case you need to speak to us some more."

"You got it. Anyway, we'll let you know how we go with these leads."

"Thank you," Mike replies as the agents walk away and he closes the front door, before walking back to where Kate is sitting in the lounge.

He sits down beside Kate and pulls her toward his chest.

"She's locked up and still causing grief."

"It's ok. If she is behind this, they will find out and get it sorted."

"You know something Mike, even though the child I was carrying was Jim's, I was kind of happy that I was finally going to be a mother after everything we'd been through and I'd been through."

"You'll get to be a mother one day."

"I hope you're right"

"I know you will because I'll make sure it happens," he says, hugging her even tighter and placing a kiss on her head.

"Look, we've got visitors arriving soon."

"Oh God, Mike. I'm not up for visitors."

"It's Maxine and Steve Marshall. They want to talk to both of us and also Max is bringing paperwork over for me."

"I hope you made sure they didn't bring any alcohol?"

"Yes. I told Maxine that, plus I told her she should bring something good for dinner."

They sit there watching the television, both in their own world, but also holding on to each other. When the doorbell first rings they do not hear it, but on the second chime it brings Mike back to the present. He opens the door to find Maxine and Steve standing on the step. They walk inside, through to the lounge and dining room area and Mike goes to the kitchen to get drinks, plates and cutlery for dinner. Kate stays lying down on the couch looking at the T.V., not even registering the arrival of Maxine and Steve.

"How's she doing?" Maxine asks Mike when the three of them are in the kitchen

"Better than I expected," he replies, looking over towards where Kate is lying.

As they eat, they talk about work and the case. Kate joins them after a while and eats a little of the food Maxine has brought. The door bell chimes as they are clearing up and Mike goes off to answer it, surprised by who he finds at the door.


	8. Chapter 8

Mike opens his front door and is surprised by who is standing in front of him.

"Mike, care to explain why I got a phone the from federal police this morning asking for medical information on Kate?"

"Dad, Mum, why don't you both come inside and we'll explain?"

His parents walk inside and are greeted by Maxine and Kate. Mike's mum picks up straight away that something is wrong, and it has to do with Kate.

"Mike, whats going on?" his mother, Janet, asks.

Mike introduces his parents to Steve, then goes to the kitchen to get Kate a drink of water, some more pain relief and her antibiotics.

"Mike, I'm fine," she says when she notices the glass of water and her meds.

"No, you're not, now take them please," he says in a firm but caring voice, passing her what she needs.

"And you better take those pain killers as well," he says before turning around.

"Thank you Steve, Maxine, for coming around and dropping off the paperwork for me, and dinner too. I'll give you both a ring tomorrow." Steve and Maxine both get the hint that they are being asked to leave.

"Please do that, Mike," Steve says as he grabs his keys off the bench.

The three walk to the door, and Mike apologises to them for making them leave at such short notice, but he does promise to ring them tomorrow and let them know how Kate is doing. Steve informs Mike that he does need to speak to his parents at some stage as well and Mike agrees, insisting he wait until Kate tells them what has happened.

While Mike is at the door, the other three sit in silence in the lounge. Janet and Bill both can tell that Kate is not looking well. She is pale, has some bruising on her face and seems drained-looking. Janet picks up the bottles, reads the labels and shakes her head.

Mike re-enters the lounge and sits down beside Kate, his parents sitting opposite them.

"Ok, time for you two to tell me what is going on and why I got a phone call from the federal police regarding you two, and what happened ten years ago." Bill and Janet watch as Mike and Kate exchange looks. They are not sure what is going on but they do notice Mike nod his head.

"Mum, Dad, this is not easy but Kate was attacked yesterday and due to the attack she lost Jim's baby. Agent Murphy is following all leads because whoever did this to her knew about the miscarriage she had back then," Mike says.

"How badly was she attacked, Mike?" Bill asks.

"Well, enough to cause her to black out. Luckily there was no internal organ damage or bleeding but the baby didn't survive the attack." Janet moves to the other side of Kate and wraps her arms around her.

"Mike, can we talk in private?"

"Sure Dad, we'll go to my office. Honey, will you be ok here with Mum?" Mike says, looking at her waiting for a response. It does not go past his parents that he called her 'honey'. She nods her head and Mike and Bill head off leaving Kate with Janet in the lounge.

Bill follows Mike into the office and shuts the door behind him so the ladies don't hear what is said.

"Mike, why didn't you ring us?"

"Sorry Dad. I've just been busy supporting her and I totally forgot to let you both know."

"How long was she unconscious?"

"Well, they think she blacked out during the attack. There was about twenty minutes between her leaving Maxine's office and me getting the call and she doesn't remember her dog tags being removed. She blacked out on me again while we waited for the ambulance. It was about five hours later before she woke up again." he manges to say, while pacing the room.

"She's staying here?"

"Yeah, Maxine has given me two weeks off, but I will be doing whatever work I can from home."

"Did they give her two weeks off as well?"

"Yes, but she's not allowed to do anything. She goes back in two weeks for a check-up then they will decide from there."

"How is she feeling about losing the baby?"

"Yeah, about that."

"Mike?"

"She seems different this time around. She's spoken about it, and she's not crying as much, but something is just not sitting right with me."

"Why, what has she said?"

"She said she was pleased God took it away."

"Did she explain why?"

"Yeah, she did. She said it was selfish of her to expect me to be there and help out with the baby; to love it and cherish it as my own. Plus she said she was not handling the fact it was Jim's child and not mine she was carrying. I'm not sure what to make of it all. She said while I was away it made her think about it even more. "

"But you would have?'

"Of cause I would have Dad, because it's her. I would do just about anything for her," Mike says before sitting down in a chair at his desk.

"Yes, your mother and I have figured that out." There is silence for a few minutes. Bill can tell Mike is trying to work things out in his head. He takes a seat as well and waits for his son to talk.

"Dad?" he says questioningly.

"Yes?"

"Can people react differently second time around to losing a child? I thought she would have been even more upset over it all."

"Yes, they can. Some people will grieve later, some somehow just cope better having been through it; they understand the emotions. Others, depending on what caused the pregnancy and then the miscarriage, are happier or relieved that it is over with. How about you? How are you feeling about it all?"

"Guilty. Like it's my fault it happened."

"Don't do that to yourself again, Mike. You did that last time she lost a baby."

"I know, Dad, but regardless of who the father was, I had came to love that child already. Kate didn't deserve to be attacked, and if I'd had the guts to at least email or ring her instead of waiting till she was on shore leave before telling her face to face, she would've been with me, not down there all alone, and the baby would still be alive."

"And who's to say that they had not been waiting for her to be alone before doing it. Now stop beating yourself up over it Mike. There is nothing you can do to change what had happened. Now, where did it happen?"

"At headquarters, of all places, in the underground car park." Mike places his head in his hands again and Bill stands beside him, rubbing his hand up and down Mike's back as he tries to hold himself together; a ticking clock the only sound echoing in the room.

When Mike and his father finally emerge from the office, they return to the lounge to find Kate asleep on the couch and Janet cleaning up in the kitchen.

"Mum, how long as she been asleep?"

"Not long after you two left she fell asleep in my arms. I laid her down and covered her with the blanket."

"Thanks Mum. I'll just go put her in bed. You can put your gear in the spare room if you like," he replies as he bends down and gently puts one of her arms around the back of his neck. Gently sliding his arms under her body, he lifts her up and off the couch and carries her to his room. He places her on his bed and gently takes off her pants, easing the sheet and duvet from under her before placing them gently over her body. He places a kiss on her forehead before he goes, leaving his bedroom door slightly ajar.

"The spare room is all ready to go for you two," he says as he enters the kitchen to make himself a drink.

"Thanks son, but where is Kate sleeping?" Bill asks.

"She wants to sleep in my bed, so that is where she is now."

"Have you had a chance to talk to her about your shore posting yet?"

"No, she's got enough to worry about without me adding to it all. I'll tell her all the details when she is feeling not so sore and tired, and the agents have some idea who did this to her."

"Do they have any ideas yet?"

"Well her mother's been in touch again," Mike says with a lack of enthusiasm, shaking his head at the same time. "Then there is Ms Cruise, who Kate said made some vague threats to her but she didn't think anything of it. Or there are a number of other people who could want us both dead, but it's the information about knowing she was pregnant both times that is puzzling. They even thought I would do it to her."

"You're joking, right?"

"Nope. They thought the father of her first child could be behind it, I told them I wouldn't do that to her . Not again, and not after she asked me to be the child's father." He leans over the kitchen sink, his head bowed down.

"I just can't believe they would think I would do something like that, and to her. I know they had to ask, but still. If I'd just told her sooner instead of waiting, maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"Mike, don't go there. Don't blame yourself . Someone else did this to her, not you."

"It is my fault, Dad. Last time I never went with her and I should have, this time was because I was too chicken shit to tell her I would do it. I was afraid she'd say no if I didn't tell her face to face."

"Mike, you need to stop this right now. I told you earlier that blaming yourself is not going to change what has happened, and is not going to help either of you. Last time our house was only a block away from the shops, we all thought she would be fine walking there and back on her own," his father says, walking up to the bench that separates the kitchen from the din(n)ing room and lounge area

"Yeah, but she wasn't, was she? She still got attacked," Mike manges to say, a few tears rolling down his face. He doesn't even look towards his father but he knows he is closer to him.

"Listen son, you've got to stop blaming yourself for what happened back then. It wasn't your fault it happened. I thought we had manged to get you to move on from this. I thought you had stopped blaming yourself for it." Janet watches as the two men stand in silence. She would love to offer her advice, but she knows the only person who will get through to Mike right now is his father.

"I thought so too, Dad, but Kate losing the baby yesterday really hit me hard. Harder than I thought it would, considering it's not even mine. I felt like I'd been transported back ten years, only the location being different this time around." Bill is not sure what to say, but he notices Mike wiping his face with his hand.

"I don't know why, Dad, but I feel like I failed her again. Like this is all my fault that she is going through it all again."

"Mike, please don't blame yourself," Kate says. Mike turns around to see her standing in the entrance to the kitchen. She takes in his glassy eyes and wet cheeks, walking up and wrapping her arms around his waist. As she leans into his chest, he can't help but wrap his arms around her and place a kiss on her head.

"Please don't blame yourself," she sobs. He stands there holding her, tears falling down both their faces. Bill and Janet head out to the car they have hired to get their bags, leaving the two alone to talk.

"How much of the conversation did you hear?"

"Enough to hear in your voice that you're hurting over this. Maybe more than me."

"I don't understand. You don't seem as upset as last time."

"Because last time the baby's father was, no is, the love of my life. This one was conceived under different ideas."

"You loved Jim, didn't you?"

"Yes, but not the way I love you. If I wasn't so pigheaded and stubborn and had talked to you when you told me about Ryan being your son, I wouldn't have jumped into bed with Jim like I did."

"It hurt you, didn't it, finding out?"

"Yes, but I should have seen it coming. You told me the two of you were a perfect match, and he wasn't to his father. I should have listened to my gut and not gone 'oh, but medical-wise that means nothing'." They stand in the kitchen holding each other for a few more minutes before Kate moves to get a drink, remembering the reason she woke up in the first place.

* * *

_**Karla - Thanks for your feedback once again. I wrote it last year about August time but also I put my writing had improved not my style had changed and that also my writing had improved since I wrote this story :)**_


	9. Chapter 9

MThe following morning Mike awoke to find Kate lying partially on top of him; one of her legs in between his two, the top of her body over his chest, an arm around his waist and her head nestled just under his chin.

_Now this is how my morning should always be,_ Mike thinks to himself as he looks at her sleeping form. She moves and it gives him the chance to get out of bed without waking her. He closes the en-suite door behind him and waits for the water in the shower to warm up before he steps in. Distracted by everything that is going on in his head, he has no idea that Kate is even in the room until her arms wrap around his torso and her lips brush against the top of his back. The feeling sends an urgent message to his body and he turns to lay a passionate kiss on her lips.

"You keep that up and I won't be held responsible for what happens next," he says before kissing her again. He gets her body wash and starts to wash her, but she tries to distract him again.

"Honey, I would love to but I don't think right now is the right time to be doing what you have going through that lovely little head of yours." He sees the hurt look on her face.

"It's not because I don't want to, as you can well see, but you've just lost a baby, honey, and neither you nor I have any protection here." She grins at him before moving her hand over his manhood.

"Who said we had to do it the normal way? There are many different ways to deal with this slight problem you seem to have," she says seductively placing a kiss on his lips totally side tracking him. The feelings she is stirring up have him forgetting all about washing her.

"You are one evil woman, Kate McGregor," he say twenty minutes later as they leave the en-suite and get dressed.

"And you love every little bit of it," she says lifting her eyebrows at him and then smiling. He wraps his arms around her before placing another kiss on her lips.

"Thank you for before," he whispers.

They head out of the bedroom to the kitchen and start organising breakfast. Mike keeps a watchful eye over the bacon and eggs in the pan as Kate makes the coffee and sets the table. mike's parents enter as he removes the pan from the heat and all for of them enjoy the casual breakfast together.

"How long are you two up here for?" Mike asks, looking at his parents.

"As long as we are needed. Paul is covering the practice and a locum is coming in today to help out, and your mother took some family leave, but don't worry about us. Just deal with what you need to and get back into things. We're happy to help out."

"Dad, if you're here then the feds won't be able to access the information they need regarding Kate."

"It's ok, I brought it with me just in case," he said as he placed his empty plate in the dishwasher.

Mike spends the rest of the morning in his office doing paperwork and Kate joins him after his parents leave to take the required information to the agents, getting Mike and Kate's permission first.

Just as they are about to eat lunch Mike gets a phone call requesting Kate and himself to go to headquarters.

"Kate, did you bring your whites with you?"

"Do you ever bother to pay attention to what is in your wardrobe?"

"Nope, not really."

"Well I have a clean set sitting in your wardrobe, just my shoes- Oh no, I don't have them. The feds still have them, along with my name tag and medal clips. Anyway, why do you ask?"

"We've been summoned to see Marshall and Maxine at 1400 hours."

"Well we need to swing by my place before we go then."

"Sure thing."

They sit and eat lunch. Mike heads off to get changed while Kate cleans up the dishes from lunch, when Mike returns back to the Kitchen she picks up her uniform that she placed on the back of the couch before they head off to her place where she gets changed into her uniform.

"Hey grumps, what's up?" he says, noticing she is not looking happy.  
"I hate not having my full uniform. This is just not acceptable; no belt, no medal clips, no dog tags, the wrong shoes. Thank God I have two name tags, spare shoulder ranks- and whites."

"Ok, calm down Princess Perfect. It's not your fault you're missing parts of your uniform," he says as he wraps his arms around her waist.

"Yeah, but it's been years since I wore black shoes with my whites. It feels so, so wrong."

"Look, Marshall and Maxine are not going to say anything about it; it's not your fault. Now we should get going," he says, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

As they head off to headquarters to meet up with Maxine and Steve, Kate is still not happy that her uniform is not correct and missing items. They park in the outside car park, Mike not wanting to cause any extra stress to Kate, then proceed into Navcom and towards Maxine's office.

"Welcome you two and thanks for coming in," replies Maxine when the two enter her office

"No problem."

"Right, Kate. We have your replacement uniform here for you," says Maxine as she passes Kate the gear. Kate has a smile on her face.

"Someone seems happy," Steve remarks when he notices the smile on Kate's face as she is handed the replacement items.

"Oh yeah, she's been in a grump since she got changed. She is such a perfectionist with things." They all share a small laugh at Kate and how she likes things to be perfect.

"So what is the reason for the meeting?" asks Mike.

"We want to talk to you two about the state of your relationship with each other. Why was it not noted in your personal files about the relationship you had ten years ago?" replies Marshall. Mike and Kate both sit there quietly, neither are sure what to say to the question.

"Ok, silence is not helpful. Both Maxine and I know there is more to you two than just colleagues and we would like it if you told us," comes from Steve.

"Maxine, take Kate into Mike's office and talk to her, I'm going to talk to Mike. Maybe separating them might help us get some answers," Steve decides when the two don't talk.

Kate then follows Maxine to Mike's office leaving Steve and Mike alone to talk.

"Why aren't you talking? You're normally very quick to speak up about things. So do you care to explain yourself, Mike."

"Well what would you like me to say, Sir?"

"I would like to know how you two originally met where and when, for a start."

"We met at Watsons Bay. She was a student on the Advanced Navigation course I had to to take."

"**BLOODY HELL, MIKE!" **Steve yells. "A student, of all things! There are rules, Mike. They are there for our own protection."

"I know that, Sir, and she was the first and only student I've ever broken the rules with."

"Damn it, Mike. You know this could cost you your career?"

"Yes, Sir, I do. But, to be honest, I don't really care anymore."

"Come on, Mike. You live and breathe the sea."

"I did, but now I have other things I want to do personally."

"So is she the reason you have been pushing to get off Hammersley for the last few months then?"  
"Yes."

"Have you two been seeing each other while working together?"

"In what way do you mean 'seeing each' other, Sir?"

"Mike, don't piss me around please."

"Yes. We visit each other outside of working hours. We do spend a lot of time together, but when her promotion got knocked back she decided that she was unable to wait till I got posted back here to Navcom to try and have a relationship, and personally I don't blame her."

"Why is that, Mike?"

"Well, we never seem to get the timing right. The first time I was her instructor and she was my student it would never of looked good for either of us, second I got posted back to Hammersley a week after posting off, and then I was unable to get posted off even after the promotion lists came out."

"Is it correct that Captain Jim Roth was the baby's father?" Steve says changing the line of questioning.

"Yes, Sir. That is correct."

"And the baby she lost ten years ago, that Maxine brought to my attention?"

"That one I was the father of, but she got pregnant after the course not during it."

"So you two kept the relationship going afterwards, did you?"

"Yes for about another four or five months before..._(he stops for a moment before carrying on talking)_ She had dreams and I didn't want people thinking she got there because she was with me. So I ended yet."

"So that would explain why you didn't want her to be posted on Hammersley as your XO then?"

"Yes, Sir. That was partly the reason."

"What was the full reason, Mike?"

"Well, Sir. I also left because I fell for her like I've never fallen for any other woman before. I left thinking I would never have to see her again and deal with those feelings, then when you told me who was coming I panicked. I was worried about how she would react and how I would handle it all, and how I would handle working with her again. Over time I realised that those feelings I had were still there and the longer we worked together the harder it was getting for me. When I took the promotion we spent some time together then Maxine sent me back on board. I tried not to go but I had no choice, so the last year has been hard on both of us, suppressing our feelings for each other and doing our job side by side."

"So what was you plans once you got back your shore posting?"

"We were going to take a holiday and see where things went. We both know we want to get married and have a family at some stage."

"Ok, so this was not some fling, something to just take up some of the time because you both worked together."

"No, Sir. Not at all," Mike says firmly.

"Explain to me what happened ten years ago please, in detail," asks Steve. Mike goes into detail about what happened at Watsons Bay and after that, when they found out they were going to be parents and the disappointment they felt when she lost it. How a few months later he ended things after going to visit her and them talking, thinking he would never have to see her again; never have the feeling of settling down and committing to one person again. He even informs Steve about the conversation they had the night before he returned to Cairns, what she said and how he felt about it all.

In Mike's office, Kate was telling Maxine a similar story. She told her how the two of them had been together for a period of about five months before he ended it all by just up and leaving without a word only a note, a couple of months after losing the baby. She mentioned finding out she was pregnant thanks to his mother noticing it before her and then her reaction to losing the baby, as well as how she felt when she realised she was being posted under Mike's command. How, over time while working alongside him, she began to fall back in love with him. Even though she tried hard not to, she was unable to stop her heart from doing it. She even told Maxine about the plans they had made for when he got posted off and how, on advice from her, she ended it with Mike; ending her dreams of being happy, having a family and a happy ever after. Even though she knew they had not broken any rules this time around, she did it for Mike, because she loved him enough to not let him lose his career, his job, over her.

After talking to them on their own they bring them together and talk some more to them before dismissing them for the time being. Steve heads off to attend to some work that he needs to do leaving Maxine alone in her office thinking.

_Oh, God. I played a hand in destroying everything for them. I just thought it was (just) because they worked together that they had some attraction, once he was off the boat it would not last. I never knew they had made plans and that things were as involved as they were for the two of them so many years ago. They had planned a holiday, a life. They talked about getting married and having children, something Mike had never shown an interest in. It must be serious between them then. All I can do is support them. Mike's made it clear that we are just friends and if Kate makes him happy then what can I do? He's a good friend and Ryan's father, I don't need him pissed off with me._

_Well they are not breaking any rules at present; Mike is here at Navcom and Kate is on Hammersley. But what is Steve going to do with the fact that the two of them have had a relationship in the past. It was ten years ago, I really have to wonder if it is worth doing anything about it, now due to the length of time since it happened._

_Anyway, I must get a temporary XO in for Hammersley. They sail in two days and Kate is not allowed out there, I can fully understand why._

Maxine gets to work finding a fill-in for Kate. It does not take long for her to find someone who is free and available to do the job. This brings forward Hammersley's sailing time by a whole day. She then contacts Lieutenant Commander Savy to find out if he is happy to stay on as CO for now, and is disappointed when he reveals he has only another four weeks before he has to return to his posting in Sydney. Maxine begins processing another lot of promotion paperwork for Kate while trying to best work out the CO problem for Hammersley.


	10. Chapter 10

The following day goes by quickly as the agents ask more questions from Mike, Kate and his parents. They are looking into all avenues of the assault on Kate and not ruling out the possibility that both attacks are related, even though Mike and Kate are pretty sure they aren't.

The weekend comes and Kate enjoys relaxing with Mike and his parents. Maxine comes around to see how they are all doing, enjoying a meal with them as well, and Ryan even calls to say hello while he is away on holiday.

Unknown to them, the agents have tracked down Kate's mother's whereabouts thanks to the letter she sent Maxine. After they question her about what happened on the Saturday, Kate's mother decides to go to Cairns to find out what is going on and confront her daughter as well.

Monday morning rolls around, another lovely sunny Cairns day, and Mike needs to head into headquarters. Kate decides to tag along and see if there is anything Maxine can give her to do because she is going nuts without something to focus her attention on.

They arrive at the same time as Maxine and as they walk in Kate asks several times if she can find something for her to do.

Impressed by her initiative and apparent devotion to her job, She decides to give Kate some reports and other information to type up. The task is gladly accepted and she gets started on it straight away.

"She sure is dedicated, isn't she?" Maxine says to Mike a few minutes later, after walking into his office to drop some files off.

"Yes she is, but she is getting bored at home."

"What does she do on shore leave then?"

"Well, when I was working with her we would do our reports together, fill out our supply orders and rosters for watch. When I was away on long shore leaves she would take over my jobs as well, but due to her being off work she doesn't have those things to fill in her time."

"Yeah well ,you're both on leave and you're both here working. I don't get that."

"We can't go anywhere thanks to the Feds and there is only so much sitting at home with my parents that any one person can take. I said when you gave me the leave that I was going to do what I could work-wise. She may still not be one hundred percent fit body-wise but her brain is still there, and it will be good for her to do something too, Max."

"Yeah, ok. I will give her work to do till she's cleared fit for sea duty again."

"Thanks, Max," he smiles before answering his phone that is going off.

The three are busy working when Steve arrives. He is surprised to see not only Mike, but also Kate, wearing whites and working away; looking very engrossed in what they are doing.

"Maxine, I thought those two were on leave?"

"Yeah, so did I till this morning when they both arrived. Deciding to come into work, Kate just about begged me to give her something to do. In the end I gave in, seeing her just about begging is not something I want to see anytime soon."

"Did you try sending them both back home?"

"Yes, but I got told that their brains are fine and they wanted to do something, so I gave Kate some work to do." Steve just stands there with a smile on his face.

"Got to say though, they're both very dedicated to the job. Coming in when they're both on leave to do work, it says a lot about the type of people they are."

"Yes it does, for sure."

Over the next half hour Maxine and Steve discuss whether anything should be done about what happened between Mike and Kate ten years ago. After they come to an agreement, they switch to the topic of the extra camera and other security features that are being installed around the base and headquarters, including the underground car park.

During the meeting they both take the time to look over to where Kate was sitting to make sure she was doing ok. Every time they looked in her direction she seemed to be busy typing away at the computer.

Mike made regular checks on her during the morning, making sure she was ok before returning back to his office. He would only do it when needing to bring something to the area Kate was in, knowing full well that she would hate him just coming to check on her. He could see her from his desk, but he enjoyed asking her. Before too long it was lunch time and Maxine dismissed them both, telling them to go home for the day. Kate was not happy about the decision until Maxine said she could come back in tomorrow and do some more work, if she wanted to. This had Mike shaking his head, in turn Maxine had to smile.

"You know, Max, she is meant to be resting?"

"Yes I know, but if this gets her to rest in the afternoon then it's fine with me. Anyway, Mike, she's not doing anything major fitness-wise. So we will see you both tomorrow morning 0900 hours for a meeting before you both start for the day." They both head off to the car and as Maxine watches them leave she thinks about how well they both worked today. They had both achieved a fair amount of work in a short period; Maxine hadn't expected Kate to get all her tasks finished by lunch.

_I wonder how I can get her more experience as a CO without being a CO__. M__aybe I can convince Steve to allow Mike back on __b__oard and have Kate running the ship__ under his guidance and __get another XO that will stay working with her. I know they __would be __together but this would give her the experience she needs to get her promotion. I might just give Steve a ring and talk about this because I feel __it__ would provide her with the hands__-__on experience she needs but with the experience of Mike there to make sure she is doing things correctly, like she wouldn't anyway. _Maxine thinks as she returns to her office and picks up her phone to run the idea past Steve.

Maxine and Steve talk about her idea and hash out a few other ways to deal with what Maxine has brought to Steve's attention. Two hours later they both hang up, not really having gotten anywhere, but both understanding where the other is coming from on the matter.

Five minutes after hanging up from Steve, Agent Murphy comes in to Maxine's office to ask her a few more questions. She happily answers them and he also goes over the information they have so far. Maxine does inform Agent Murphy that the security at the underground car park has been improved.

Once Mike and Kate get home they have some lunch with his parents before he suggests a walk along the beach.

"Kate, I need to talk to you," Mike says as he looks out over the water.

"What about?"

"My shore posting."

"Oh, don't tell me it's only for a few weeks then you're back on Hammersley again." She turns to look at him as she speaks, a lone tear falling.

"Um, yes and no."

"Mike, come on. Please don't do this to us again. I can't handle this on and off crap we keep going through." Her voice raises as she speaks, the anger evident in her tone.

"Just let me explain, please, before you go off at me. Ok?"

"Ok, fine then," she says, stopping to sit down on the sand.

"The only way I was able to get off Hammersley and get my shore posting back was if I was able to when required and called upon to work on other boats, including frigates. I got a phone call on the morning you were attacked telling me I will be going to Darwin in another two weeks for about four months," he says.

"Why did you accept it?"

"It was either that or I stay on Hammersley. You asked me to help raise Jim's child, be the father figure and I knew that with us both being on Hammersley it wouldn't look good. If I was helping you out and the child began calling me dad, people would talk. This way I thought it would be best for both of us. Unfortunately, if they ring and tell me they need me somewhere I have to go."

"Do they know why you refuse to work on Hammersley?"

"No, they don't know the full reason. I did tell them if they left me on there then I would not be responsible for what happened. I also stated that Hammersley could do with a fresh set of eyes as the CO and that I felt my time as Captain had came to an end." He gently takes her hand within his. "I know the timing of this isn't good. But in two weeks I have to fly to Darwin and take over as Captain, and hopefully you should be out on patrol with Hammersley and her crew."

"Yeah true, but how are we meant to have a relationship if you are over there and I'm here?"

"We will make it work, Kate, and its only temporary. I will be back and you can stay at my place if you want. I just hope whoever was behind this attack is found before I leave."

"Me too," she whispers as he wraps his arm around her, pulling her into his side.

They sit there in silence for about twenty minutes, watching the waves lap up on the beach.

"Honey we should think about heading back home." he says to her

"Yeah, home sounds nice about now," she replies quietly. They both get up off the sand and head back to his place, not expecting the visitors that are waiting for them when they return.


	11. Chapter 11

When Mike and Kate arrive home from their trip to the beach, Agent Murphy and Agent Morgan are inside talking to his parents.

"Mike, Kate, just the people we wanted to see," says Agent Murphy.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of another visit from you two?"

"We have the rest of Kate's belongings that was left that day," Agent Murphy says as he hands over her black case and wallet. She quickly opens them up, going through them while the others watch.

"Anything missing?" Asks Agent Murphy

"Not that I can see. Everything is there, but still no dog tags. Where the hell are they?" she says crossly.

"The attacker must have taken them as proof of doing the deed then."

"Deed, is it? It was a damn attack, Agent Murphy, which sadly has me off work for at least another week. I have Mike leaving in two weeks and you lot still have no idea who the hell is behind it all," says Kate crossly, storming out of the room and into Mike's bedroom where she slammed the door shut behind her.

"Any luck in finding out who did it?"

"Not yet, Mike. We are tracking down a few leads but nothing concrete as to who did it. We contacted her mother, who said it wasn't her; same as Ms Cruise."

"Well have you checked her call records and visitors? Ms Cruise is one sneaky person; it has to be her."

"And what makes you say that, Mike?"

"She was an ASIO spook. She knew far too much about everyone, about personal things that are not recorded in files or anywhere else. I was thinking about it over the weekend. She would be the only one who would have had the assets to know about both pregnancies and she never liked Kate right from the start."

"Why?"

"Because I allowed Kate into all meetings that involved her. Ms Cruise didn't like it and told me so on a number of occasions, but I told her if I got injured Kate would take command so she needed to know. Plus she is second in command and is, by right, allowed to know everything that goes on onboard Hammersley."

"Ok, we will investigate who she's had contact with since she was arrested and see what we came up with."

The agents say their goodbyes before leaving the house to follow up on the information that Mike has given them.

"I take it from what Kate said to the agents that you told her about having to go to Darwin?" asked his mother.

"Yes, I did. I had to tell her at some stage, at least this way she has some time to deal with it before I go."

"Yes, keeping it from her would not have been a good idea," his father says as he watches him.

"Mike, whats up?"

He doesn't reply straight away and the room is quiet for a moment. Mike's mother leaves to check on Kate, allowing the two men to talk.

"I don't really want to go. I would prefer to stay here just to make sure everything is going to be ok."

"Everything will be fine, Mike. Mum can always came back up here when Kate is not on patrol."

"You both have to work, Dad, and anyway its our mess not yours to deal with."

"It might be your mess to deal with, but we are family and family help each other out. The day you fell in love with Kate was the day she became part of our family and, as such, we will be there for her just as much as we are there for you, regardless of who did what, when and how." Mike sits there thinking about what his father has said to him.

"Look, we may not have been happy at the start, when you first joined the Navy, but over time we could see how happy you were," his father continues. "Once we saw how much you enjoyed it, we knew that you had made the right choice for you, and that also brought Kate into your and our lives. If she can't go back to work when you have to go to Darwin then your mother will be up here to help keep an eye on her. Don't forget we are only a phone call away, son, day or night."

The two men look at each other, both coming to the same understanding without needing to say anything. Mike then notices the time and decides to make a start on dinner, leaving his dad in the lounge by himself.

As Mike sets the microwave to defrost, Kate joins him in the kitchen and they get to work on preparing dinner. They talk away, the chatter reaching the ears of his parents sitting in the lounge. When the two in the kitchen begin to laugh, smiles appear on Mike's parents' faces.

Later that evening as Mike and Kate were cuddled up together in bed, he decides to talk to her some more.

"I'll most likely have to be at Navcom all day tomorrow," he says gently.

"That's ok, I'm sure I can get Maxine to give me work to do."

"You should be here, at home, resting."

"God, not you too. My brain is fine, I am fine and I am going nuts with nothing to do," she says firmly.

"You were told to rest and not do any work."

"I was told to rest and not to return to Hammersley. He said nothing about not being able to do paperwork at a desk now, did he?" she says with a smirk.

"No, he didn't say you couldn't do paperwork."

"Good. So I'll came in with you tomorrow and get something to do."

"Maxine won't be happy."

"Knocker can just deal with it. I'm not going to sit around here for another week waiting to be cleared for work."

"I don't mind you sitting around here." They lay in silence for a few minutes before he speaks again.

"Honey, are you going to be ok when I go away?"

"What choice do I have in the matter? It's the Navy, we do as we're told."

"Yeah, but I was more meaning personally, not work-wise."

"I should be, as long as I get cleared to return to Hammersley."

"I was thinking of getting a key cut for you. So, if you want to, you can came and go from here," he says.

"Yeah, that would be nice," she says a minute later, a smile forming on her lips. He leans down and places a kiss on her head, wrapping his arms around her tighter before they both drift off to sleep.

0830 hours the following day

Navcom, Cairns

"Maxine, please. I'm going insane sitting at Mike's place with nothing to do," Kate says as she sits down in Maxine's office.

"And what did the doctor say about you and work, Kate?"

"Not to go back on Hammersley. This isn't Hammersley so I can't see there being a problem. My brain works fine."

"Ok fine, you win. I'll get you paperwork and reports to do and I'm sure Mike can find you a few reports as well but you will be taking lunch at 1200 hours, no arguing with me over it."

"Fine with me," she replies with a smile on her face and Mike just stands there, shaking his head. Maxine passes Kate some reports, suggesting she start with them, and watches as she leaves the office.

"I hope you did not put her put to this, Mike."

"No, not at all. I had the same conversation with her last night and lost. Anyway, I should get to my office I have a stack of work to get through before I head to Darwin in two weeks."

"Darwin? Mike, what's going on?" she asks, a puzzled look coming across her face.

"Haven't you been told, Maxine? I'm off to Darwin in two weeks to fill in as CO on HMAS Bathurst while the CO is off on leave."  
"No, I hadn't been informed of this development yet."

"Most likely got overlooked with everything else that has been gong on. Fleet command approved it because I'm only your 2IC and not a CO anymore, it won't be a major dent for you to handle."

"How long are you away for?"

"Three to four months. I know the timing is not great but there is nothing I can do about it," he says before finally leaving her office.

The morning is spent busy dealing with paperwork, phone calls and emails lunch time arrives.

"Kate, lunch time," Mike says as he stands beside her chair.

"Hang on, let me finish this off first."

"Finish that line then we are going home to have lunch with my folks and Maxine. Or do I need to make it an order, Lieutenant?" She looks at him and smiles.

"Ok, fine. You win this one, for now," she replies as she saves her work and logs off, heading out to join Maxine. The three are busy talking and don't notice the woman walking towards them, apparently recognising one of the three.

"Kate, darling," is heard and the three officers stop dead in their tracks. Kate looks at this woman, eyeing her up and down.

"What is she doing here?" she whispers to the other two.

"I have no idea," Mike replies, seeing a little bit of Kate in this woman.

"Don't you have a hug and hello for your mother? And who are these people? I'm Margaret McGregor, Kate's mother, and you two are?" she says before looking at the name tags on their uniforms.

"Can you please leave? I don't want you here."

"Why not, Kate? Don't you think I have a right to see how you are after getting a phone call telling me you had been attacked and asking if I had been behind it all?"

"No, you don't get that right. Not now."

"Kate, sweetie, come on. Would you honestly think I would do something like that?"

"To be honest, I'm surprised you were even able to get yourself up off the couch and come here to see how I am. Even more so considering that when I lived with you, you never gave a damn about me. So if you don't mind, I would like you to leave and I would prefer not to have to talk to you ever again. Mike, can we go home please," she says.

"Sure thing. Max, see you there," he says as he guides Kate to the car. Kate's mother watches as the two get in, making a mental note of the number plate.

"You ok?" he asks once they are in the car and driving back to his house.

"Yes, I will be. Why the hell did she have to turn up at work? Can't she take the whole 'I don't want contact, leave me alone' thing?"

"I don't know, honey." He reaches over, covering the hand resting on her leg with his and giving it a gentle squeeze. Before long they arrive back at his place, with Maxine not far behind them.


	12. Chapter 12

"So what have we got for lunch today?" asks Maxine as she enters the house. Kate is pleased that Maxine, so far, has no brought up what happened at Navcom.

"Well, that depends on one thing," replies Mike's mother, having heard Maxine talking when she entered the house.

"And what is that?"

"When do we get to see that grandson of ours again? His last visit was far too short."

"That will all depend on him. He's on holiday right now, he'll be back in a week or so I think."

"Max, hasn't he been in contact with you?" asks Mike.

"He has, he's just not sure when he will return. He's having fun but I have a feeling that the chef on Hammersley will have him returning soon. He did say he was missing someone last night when we spoke and I don't think that it is either of us he is missing. Why do you ask, Mike?"

"Was just wondering. He said the other day when he rang to see how Kate was that he would be back by the end of the week."

They all made small talk while eating lunch and before long Mike, Kate and Maxine were heading back to Navcom for the afternoon. Over lunch both Maxine and Mike had noticed Kate withdrawing again; not getting as involved in the conversations that were being had at the table over lunch. They both kept an eye on her over the afternoon. She completed the work Maxine had given her before Mike had finished his pile, which he was sure was getting bigger and not smaller as the afternoon rolled around.

Kate walks into Maxine's office to hand over the last lot of paperwork.

"Thank you, Kate. Now, about your mother?"

"Ma'am, I prefer not to talk about her," Kate says as she turns to leave.

"Kate, sit please," Maxine says firmly. Kate does as requested and turns back around to take a seat in front of Maxine's desk.

"Kate, I know you don't want to talk about her but I need to know a few things. I need to know if anyone's safety is at risk here." Kate sits there thinking about what Maxine has just said.

"From what I remember she isn't violent. Well, she never hit me but then I didn't see what she did at night when I wasn't around and she was out."

"Ok, so as far as you are aware there are no real reason I can get her to stay off base then?"

"No, sorry ma'am, there isn't," Kate says weakly to her boss. Maxine sits there saying nothing, she is not used to hearing Kate sounding weak, so she allows her to compose herself and speak some more if she wants to.

"Ma'am is it ok for me to go now?" she asks

"Yes, you can tell Mike he can leave too, and will we see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, you will," Kate says with a smile on her face.

"Good, you might be able to help Mike with his pile of paperwork. I'm sure his has gotten bigger over the course of the afternoon." They both talk a little bit more before Maxine dismisses Kate and watches her walk to Mike's office so that they can then head back to his place.

As they arrive at Mike's house a car pulls up behind them. Both are wary as neither of them are expecting any visitors and his parents' rental car is parked in the drive way. Mike tells Kate to stay in the car as he gets out. Once the occupants of the other car get out, a wave of relief floods through Mike when he realises it is Agents Murphy and Morgan. Mike opens the back door of his car to get his briefcase out, letting Kate know who it is that has arrived before she also gets out. They all head inside the house after exchanging greetings.

"Ok, we thought we would let you both know that your parents, Mike, have been cleared." Agent Murphy says to them.

"I still don't understand why you had to treat them as suspects in this?"

"We decided anyone that had knowledge of Kate's first pregnancy needed to be fully checked out. Also, we did more checking and we have been left with three possible suspects. We are doing further checks right now, but we can't really tell you who they are till we have finished doing what we need to do. Kate, you wouldn't by any chance know of anyone your mother might know of or anywhere she may go?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, when we sent an officer around to her place this morning she is nowhere to be found. The neighbours said she had told them she was going away as something had come up, and so far we have been unable to track her down."

"Yeah, I know where she is. Somewhere in Cairns, she turned up at Navcom today," Kate says not sounding too impressed.

"Thank you for that information."

The two agents talk some more with Kate, Mike and his parents before leaving.

Later that evening while tucked up in bed, Kate cuddles up closer in Mike's arms.

"Mike?"

"What is it honey?" he asks softly as he runs his hand through her hair.

"Um, my mother," she quietly says.

"What about her, honey?" he says, his voice sounding so caring.

"Well, um, she wasn't the greatest mother to have." He decides not to say anything in reply but he keeps on gently running his hand through her hair.

"She sort of abused me in a way." Mike hears a muffled sob.

"Honey, it's ok. You don't have to do this now, you can do it in your own time."

"No, I need to do this. I've kept this locked up for so long I need to get it out. I need to tell you so you can understand a few things better," she says, trying to hold in the emotion while she talks.

"Ok, you go ahead in your own time. Just let me know if I need to reply to anything as I will stay quiet for you."

"Thanks," she says as she starts to trace patterns on his stomach with her finger.

"As you know, my mother brought me out here from England when I was eight, to be with some guy she meet. Everything was ok for a little while but over time they would have arguments and then the guy left. After that mum would often go out at night and come home very late and have a string of men coming and going from the house as well. She would spend the day either sleeping or throwing up and I would be left to clean the house, feed myself if there was enough money to buy food- Well, basically I looked after both of us while my mother did whatever she pleased. She never hit me, but she would say some horrible things to me at times. I made a promise to myself that I would never talk to her, let alone see her again, once I left home. When I told her I was joining the Navy she told me I wasn't allowed to leave her, that she needed me to look after her. I told her that it was a mother's job to look after their child, not the other way around. She never seemed to care about me as long as she got what she wanted. It wasn't a nice upbringing, but it could have been a lot worse," she manges to say, a few tears having fallen from her face onto his chest as she was talking. His hand moved from her hair to her back and he gently rubs the space between her shoulder blades.

"I also decided the day I left that I would never let myself love someone if it meant I would end up like her. I never want to be like her, but today when I saw her I treated her just like she used to treat me, something I said I would never do. I never wanted to be like her ever, and then today-" Mike gently pulls her up against his chest so he can give her a hug.

"Shh, honey. It's ok, you're nothing like your mother."

"Yes, I am," she sobs.

"No, not at all. You have a job, one that you love. You have friends who will always be there for you, no matter what, and then you have me and my parents who class you as family and have done for the last ten years. Now, why do you think you are like your mother?"

"I can't keep a steady relationship with a male, I tend to be to over the top with discipline. I'm bossy, demanding and I forget about those around me and how they feel about things, I tend to concentrate on myself more than anything," she says to him. As they lay there, Mike thinks about how best to approach what she has said without upsetting her more.

"I tend to disagree with you."

"Yeah, you love to disagree with me, Mike. It's what we do."

"No, honey, now listen here. When it comes to us, it is a mixture of both of us. You can't take all the blame for us having so many ups and downs, I'm just as much at fault. At work, compared to the Kate McGregor that stepped on to Hammersley five years ago, you are by far a better person. You are far more relaxed with the crew in general, not just when working with them but also on shore leave and R&R. For the first few weeks I was only allowed to call you X or XO, not Kate. You would give me this look that I knew meant you were not impressed with me using that name, but over those six months you softened to me calling you Kate at times. You figured out how much you could be yourself with the crew but still be able to be the senior officer they respected when you gave orders. I must say, the old Hammersley was the cleanest it had been in years by the time its decommission rolled around with the amount of toothbrush duty Spider and a few others did. The crew needed to learn there are boundaries as well; it's finding that balance. By the end of that first year you seemed to be doing a good job, but I must admit it was when I came back on board after having that shrapnel in my leg that I noticed how you and the crew were far more relaxed with each other. I don't know exactly what happened but whatever it was, you and the crew seemed to find a better balance. It showed in the way you were towards them and vice versa. Maybe I should have left you in charge of a patrol sooner." The last line was said lightheartedly.

"Ha ha. Very funny, Mike."

"No, I'm serious Kate. Whatever happened while you were acting CO, and when you took control of Hammersley when Freeman was not well, changed the way you and the crew acted together, in a good way. To be a senior officer in the Navy you need to be firm, even bossy at times, to get across to some sailors. Demanding is important too, I've had to be demanding to get you to stay on board when you've been on light duties. You and Buff had a excellent working relationship, something that took time with you and Dutchy but you got there. That comes from being bossy, setting down your expectations of them. Then there is the caring side of you. Look at what you did with Nikki after Josh died, and when that baby was born on board you demanded that we find its family after it's mother died." He smiles as he thinks back to that day. "Seeing you being so caring and motherly to that baby, I kept wishing it was our baby you were holding that day. Then there is Bird. She comes to you for advice and you have no problems talking to her about whatever it is she needs help with, from work to personal. To me, from what you have told me over the years about your mother, you are nothing like her at all, and I can never see you being anything like her." His hand gently rubbing up and down her back as he finally finishes what he is saying. There are a few minutes of silence as she thinks about what he has said.

"You're sure that you're not lying to me?" she whispers timidly.

"Kate, have I ever lied to you?"

"Yes," she manges to get out. Mike is left shocked by this.

"Um, when?" His voice wavers, unsure of when he lied.

"The first time we were together, just after I lost our baby. You said you would never leave but you did," she manges to say before breaking down into tears. His mind goes back to that night and the image of them both curled up in the spare room at his parents' place. They had just learned the sad news that broke a happy and exciting few days of bliss that expecting parents get. His mind fast forwards to the day he left a couple of months later and the preceding talk that had left him unsure of everything he had thought of and wanted. She had pulled the rug out from under him that night. He hadn't slept and after she left to go to work the following morning, he took the first available flight back to Cairns.

Kate moves as she feels his body tense and wonders what thoughts have interrupted the hand moving on her back. His mouth becomes dry with the thoughts and feelings he remembers so easily from that time running through him. He excuses himself from her embrace and leaves the room, heading to the kitchen to get himself a drink. He sits down on the couch to try and get himself together before going back to the room to answer her question. As he is trying to sort himself out he starts to cry quietly. The sound is heard by Kate, who followed him several minutes later when he did not return to his room.


	13. Chapter 13

Mike sits on the couch, the words Kate said the night before he left all those years ago playing over and over in his mind like a broken record. The tears start to fall even quicker as the emotion of that night, their lost child and the events that have plagued them over the last ten years hit him.

From the doorway, Kate watches Mike sitting there, his arm and hand moving across his face often, and listens to the soft sound of him crying. Unsure of what to do, she stays standing there watching his back for a few more minutes hoping that he might move towards her, but instead she witnesses him reach to his side before laying down on the couch, still softly crying. _Did his leaving hurt him just as much as it hurt me?_ she wonders, and without realising it she has tears falling down her own face.

Standing behind Kate, witnessing what is unfolding in front of her is Mike's mother. She hears the soft crying of her son and can tell from the type of cry that he is hurting. Noticing how Kate seems so transfixed on him and what he is doing, she sees the tears falling down her cheeks and the sad look across her face and decides to reach out to her.

Kate is brought out of her trance by Janet's hand on her shoulder

"Sweetie, go to him. He needs you more than anyone else right now," she says before she moves off to the kitchen to to get a drink. When she returns she finds Kate still in the same place as before.

"Sweetie?" she says to her again. Kate looks at her

"I can't go to him, he doesn't want me. I caused him to be like this, it's all my fault. I should never have-" she stops herself from saying anything more.

"Sweetie, take this from his mother, right now he needs you more than anyone else. Go to him. Talk to him, hold him. You need to do this together. Whatever you said to him, it's not your fault. Go," she prompts, giving Kate a gentle push towards him. As Kate keeps moving towards Mike, Janet walks a bit further down the hall and turns to make sure Kate has reached Mike. Satisfied with the progress Kate has made, she heads back to bed and gives them the privacy they need right now, since the rest of their daily life is not so private for them.

Back in the lounge Mike does not see Kate walk up to him; his mind is still going over things and his eyes are shut trying to hold back the tears that are falling. His eyes snap open at the feel of a hand on his shoulder, he sits up quickly.

"Mike?" she says and he looks at her as she sits on the coffee table, positioning herself directly in front of him.

"Um, yeah?" he gets out, his voice sounding broken.

"Why did you lie to me back then?"

"Well it wasn't really a lie, Kate. I meant it."

"Then why did you leave?"

"Because I had no choice."

"What do you mean 'no choice'?"

"What we both wanted for our futures wasn't the same."

"How do you know that Mike? We never spoke about it."

"Yes, we did."

"When?"  
"The night before I left, remember?" he says. She sits there trying to think of what happened the night before he left but she can't remember any conversations.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember." Her voice sounds guilty.

"At dinner. I asked you what you were planning on doing now and you said you were going to concentrate on your career so you could become Chief of Navy." He ends his statement there, giving her time to think over what he has just said and hoping to spark a memory.

Kate sits there trying to figure out why she had said that and gently places her hands on his knees, trying to provide comfort for him but also for herself.

"I'm sorry, Mike. I can't really remember much of the night before, and the next few days are sort of a blur to me after finding your note," she says softly after thinking about it for a few minutes. There are a few moments of silence before he speaks.

"We were having dinner, talking. I was on leave from Hammersley, we had two weeks shore leave and I came down to spent it with you. You had been doing desk work at the Sydney base while waiting for a new posting." Mike pauses for a few moments before speaking again. "I asked what your plans were now and you told me you wanted to focus on your career; work your way up the ladder to became chief. As you spoke about it you sounded happy, excited but not once did you mention me or us in your big plan. So that night I decided, since you had those dreams for yourself it was best that I wasn't around to cause any problems for you. I never lied to you, it was just that what you had in your head for your future was different from what I had been thinking and wanting. Back then you were very career focused and I didn't want to be the one that made you choose between your dreams and a future with me."

The room is silent; the only sounds were the muted noise from the city outside.

"Why didn't you say something to me? Tell me why instead of leaving six words for me to find when I got home from work?"

"It was all I was able to mange to get down on paper," he says weakly, not even looking at her. "It wasn't easy walking out your door that day, but I felt like I had no choice but to go before you decided to end it. I knew the longer I stayed, the harder it was going to be to let you go when you decided it was over," he manges to get out and she can hear the emotion in his voice as he talks.

"I'm so sorry. I wish I could turn back time and change what I said to you that night. I never thought you were talking about us, I thought you were talking about our jobs. I wish now I had realised you were meaning more about us as well," she says as parts of that night became clearer to her. "That would explain why, when I woke later on that night, you weren't in bed with me." He just nods his head.

"I couldn't sleep; I tried but I was unable to. My mind keep replaying what we had talked about and how you didn't want anything getting in the way of your career path. Which I took as meaning me."

"No, that is not what I meant. I meant work-wise. I didn't want anything from work getting in the way, not us." She places her hands on either side of his face, feeling the dampness from the tears that are still falling. She tilts his head so she can look him in the eye, noticing the hurt expression as he raises his face.

"Mike."  
"When I finally allowed myself to push for us to get the future I had dreamed of back then, and that you said you wanted, work prevented us from doing it straight away. I was prepared to do whatever it took this time, and leaving would have been fine with me. I wanted you so badly that I put aside my fears of being in this too deeply and the pain I would feel if you did leave. I was so scared of how I still felt for you. I thought my feelings for you were well and truly locked away. When you stepped on board Hammersley that safe was blown open again and over time my feelings got stronger for you. I broke the rules with you once but you said you were only here because your career path required you to work on a patrol boat before going back to a frigate." Mike stops for a brief moment. "Marshall had been pushing me to take a promotion for some time. For two years he pushed me to take a desk job and I wanted to take it but I was also afraid that if I took it I would never see you again, so I stayed on until Maxine started on me as soon as she got posted here. When you mentioned that it had other advantages, I decided to take it regardless of my fear, but you did want to spend time with me. Then Max put me back on and I tried, I really did try, Kate, not to be put back on. Fleet Command had no one with enough qualifications to take command. It was either Hammersley or no job. I tried to get off at times. There was no one or the names Max sent through were crap. Not only was I leaving them in charge of a multi-million dollar warship but also you and the crew who to me are family, as I told you a few months ago. I had to make sure you were all left in good hands. Twice has Hammersley been left with a different CO and things have gone wrong. For once, I decided my career was not worth my own personal heartache and if leaving meant I got the only women I have truly loved, who is always in my dreams and holds my heart, then I was fine with it."

"Then I broke it didn't I?" she quietly replies.

"Not just broke it, Kate. You shattered it into a million pieces. In one way I was pleased I had a job to do. For some time it was the only thing that got me out of bed in the morning and got me through each day. Each morning, just as I would wake up, I would wish it was only a dream but it wasn't. Seeing you each day and having to talk to you and run that ship together didn't help. I was hurting badly and I don't think you had any idea of how much you hurt me with what you did. I just had the same thing running through my head. Yet again you had decided your career was worth more than me and I should never have allowed myself to fall in love with with you like I have. The fear I had from when we were first together came crashing back to me so damn fast it wasn't funny; I felt like I was being hit by a ten tonne truck. Over the next few months I tried hard to find out what I did wrong, what I could do to fix us, because I didn't want to give up. But you moved on and after that I decided that I would never, ever allow myself to get hurt like that again. If that meant swearing off relationships all together then that was what I would do." There is silence in the lounge room as Mike allows his words to sink in.

"After finding out from Dutchy what was really going on with you and Jim, I knew then that you didn't trust me. As your commanding officer, I was suppose to know something like that. You both shouldn't have been on the same team, but it was already too late when I found out. Changing the line-up at the last minute before going ahead with an operation could cost lives. I bit my tongue and left things as they were because I knew it would leave you cross and your mind would not have been on the job ahead. When I pulled you aside to talk about it, you didn't even seem worried about how I might feel because of it all. Even after Chris and Jim died and you discovered you were pregnant to Jim, you seemed to want to fall back into our old ways. Although you didn't tell me anything about it, I knew when you had the test confirmed, but it wasn't my place to mention it. After our conversation before the memorial service and on the way back to your place I got the impression you expected me to go back to the way things were before you ended it all. The way-" Mike stops talking; he can't say what he wants to say. Not because of fear, but because he doesn't feel like having an argument with her about it all. Deep down within himself he knows that at some stage tonight, due to the direction this talk has taken, there are going to be some cross words said between the two of them, but at the moment he simply does not have the energy to fight.


	14. Chapter 14

As she sits with Mike in the lounge, Kate's mind drifts back to the day of the ceremony for Jim and Swain, and also what she had heard him saying to his mother that morning before they left. After a few more minutes of silence she decides to talk.

"I know the way I told you and asked you wasn't probably the best way to do it. I was scared of what you would do when I told you, more so when I asked you to be there to help me raise the child as your own. I know eavesdropping on your phone call to your mother wasn't a good thing to do, but if I hadn't have heard what you said I don't think I would have been able to tell you."

"I'm not used to people sticking around in my life, and anyone who was meant to care about me and look after me tended to lie to me or break my heart. My mother didn't set a good example on that front," she says quietly as she moves to sit beside him. "I don't expect hings to go back to how they were before I pulled the pin, but I wasn't prepared to be the reason you gave up your career. You have worked so hard to get where you are. There are probably more people backing you than backing me as CO of Hammersley. Maybe Maxine's subtle reminder about the effect on you if anything got out about us, and the suggestion that I was the reason you were demanding you desk job back played a part in my decision to move on. Your career has always been so important to you."

"My career used to be important but my priorities changed. I just love being out on the water and there are plenty of other ways to enjoy being out at sea, which I plan to do once I return from Darwin-" he stops talking. He has, all of a sudden, clicked to something she has said. "Hang on. Maxine spoke to you about us?" he says while looking at her.

"Yes."

"When?"

"After you had been to Fleet Command she called me into her office. She knew you wanted your posting back so we could be together. Well, she said she knew what was going on between us. She even asked me if I knew you had been or were going to them."

"So that is how you found out I had been?"

"Yes."

"She had no right to do that to you. If there was a problem she should have called me into her office, not you."

They sit side by side for about five minutes in the silence that is within the house; her hand sitting on his leg, his hands supporting his weary head.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," she says softly. He turns his head in his hands and looks at her.

"Do you think you could ever forgive me and allow me back into your personal life?" she asks, sounding unsure as she pauses between words. He sits there looking at her studying her face, before his face softens and he wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side.

"Would you be here in my house, sharing my bed, if I didn't want you?" he says before placing a kiss on her head. "The last few months, well more like for me the last six months, have been hard for me to come to terms with and deal with as well. Not saying they haven't for you," he quickly adds as he feels her stiffen, "but when you got attacked and passed out I was so scared I was never going to see you again or tell you how much I still love you, even though you have hurt me. I now understand why some women go back to abusive partners; when they say they love them and you stand there going 'how can you if they do that to you?'. Well, I can understand and you're right. You can't help who your heart chooses to fall in love with. Somehow, no matter what they do to you, you will always go back to them even when you promise yourself you won't let it happen again or you won't go back if it does. But you do. It's like you are on a bungee and it just pulls you straight back to them." He pulls her onto his lap and moves so they are lying down on the couch; his arms around her and her head on his bare chest.

"Kate, what would you have done about the pregnancy if Jim was still with us?" he asks after a few minutes of silence between them.

"I don't know, but I do know that I wouldn't have married him even though I was pregnant. It's not a good enough reason. Plus, as I told you, after trying on a wedding dress I could only picture you as the one I was marrying. Up until then I thought I could marry him. I thought he could make me happy, well he could but I wouldn't have been truly happy." She pauses for a few moments as she looks at her hands. "When it was confirmed I was pregnant I wasn't happy like I was when we found out about our child. In a way I was happy that I was going to be a mother, but I felt like I was betraying you somehow and I was unable to bring myself to do-" Kate can't even say the word. "I was almost certain I was pregnant even before Jim got killed, even before he proposed, but he never knew. I didn't want to tell him just yet, for so many different reasons, but thankfully it has been taken care of. Taken out of my hands, and you no we, don't have to live with the reminder of what happened, of the stupid mistake I did after finding out about Ryan," she says. He feels something wet hit his chest and watches her arm move across her face, the shadow lengthened by the low light of the moon filtering into the lounge.

"Honey, let's finish this off in bed, shall we? It's far more comfortable there than on the couch," he suggests. She moves off him and walks to the bedroom, he follows her and closes the door behind him. His mother hears the sound of the door and quietly gets out of bed, trying not to disrupt her sleeping husband. She quietly walks out to the lounge and is pleased to see that neither one of them are on the couch. She makes her way back to bed and as she climbs in she is stopped by the voice of her husband.

"Checking on something, are we?" comes the sleepy voice.

"Yeah, the kids. I think they been talking about some things. I heard Mike leave his room earlier, then Kate a few minutes later. As I came down the hallway I heard Mike crying on the couch, so I encouraged Kate to go and talk to him. They have both just gone back to bed," she says, settling herself back in bed as he rolls over and wraps his arm around her.

"Mmm. Those two need to talk and sort themselves out, but it will take time. Now came on, go back to sleep. You can worry about them in the morning," he says as he places a kiss on the back of his wife's neck.

Kate snuggles up to Mike, resting her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you by talking to Dutchy and him passing information on to you."

"It more than hurt me. I felt like you didn't trust me. Five years working together, me talking to you about what was going on in my life, my personal life, even though we weren't together and you still couldn't tell me that you thought you were pregnant or that Jim had proposed. These things, as your boss, I should have been told not gotten the information second hand. If it had gotten out I would have been the one dealing with the fallout from it, all because I didn't make sure my 2IC could trust me. What does that say about me? I kept you informed with what was happening while trying to figure how to fix this, fix us, so that if I manged to fix what was broken between us you didn't get lumped with more surprises. I also thought it would show you I wasn't going to hide anything from you. I thought we were making headway. I allowed myself to hope again, to then find out you were with Jim," he says, sounding hurt towards the end. "So when you asked me to be the father figure for your child, I had to hold back what I truly wanted to say to you about the subject. It was good that I had already planned to go stay with my parents for a few days because I needed it. I needed to get away from the reminders of you so I could think with a clear head. A few days turned into a few more, then it was two weeks before I returned back here."

They are both quiet for a few minutes.

"You know what got me the most pissed off about everything?" he says.

"No, not really."

"You. You pushed me to get off the boat before my kidnapping. You would throw hints at me, get cross when no one suitable was on the list or if anyone was free to take over. Only when I put you forward for promotion did you stop nagging me to get off the boat. When you found out I had been reassigned for another twelve months you were pissed off, totally pissed off, I could tell from the look on your face. I promised you nothing was going to stop us from having a future together and that I would sort it out, and then as soon as I did you bailed on me. I was hurt but also cross with you. For once I push for this, for us, and bang, you no longer want it. Then I see you with Jim. You told me nothing was going on and I believed you, but I had doubts about it. To be honest, in the back of my head there was this little voice saying 'she left you for him, you're not good enough for her, she doesn't love you she was just using you, why else would she drop you like a hot potato'."

"Jim wasn't the reason, it was Maxine and your career. Jim was just a substitute."

"Why wouldn't you tell me that?"

"I couldn't."

"Why couldn't you?"

"Maxine is your friend and our boss. It would have fuelled the fire even more for her."

"Maxine may be a friend of mine and our boss, but for Christ's sake, Kate, I just wish you'd told me what she had said to you sooner." The frustration showing in his voice.

"Mike."

"No, you listen. If we are going to make this work we have to be bloody honest with each other; tell each other things even if we think we shouldn't, regardless of what is going on or who it comes from. If it's going to affect the other, like what Maxine said to you, then the other needs to know."

"And what would you have done if I had told you I had been to see Maxine, that she called me into her office?"

"The same thing I am going to do tomorrow. Bail her up about it, and back then I would have told her where to stick her damn job."

"Mike."

"No. This job has been our biggest hurdle, the white elephant in the room, the one damn thing that is always in our way, and if it means me leaving so it isn't then so be it. And you should know, Kate, that it's not the Navy I love but being out on the water. The Navy provided me with that, but I'm not letting it get between us not again because I can't let it do it to me again. I can't have you using it to up and leave again. You have to make a decision, Kate. We are either in this or not and if we are in this then you can't use work as an excuse to hide behind or to up and leave me again because you think it is best. If you want to do that then there is no 'us' and there never will be another chance."

"You can't be serious?"

"I am. You once told me off for being an emotional coward, for hiding behind this veneer of command as you called it and for being afraid. Well, now you're doing the same thing and I'm not going to let you use work as an excuse. A choice has to be made by you now. I came back prepared to help you with Jim's child and that was all I was going to do, just help and not get involved with you romantically, but with the turn of events things have changed yet again between us and before I allow myself to fully accept this change I need to know you're not going to walk out on me, or us."

She moves off his chest to the other side of the bed and sits on the edge, facing away from him with tears pouring down her face. He doesn't say anything, he wants to give her the time to think about what she wants without him pushing it. After about ten minutes nothing has been said between them he gets up and grabs a t-shirt out of his drawer then goes to leave the room.

"You're leaving?" she asks him as she gets up off the bed and heads towards him.

"You're not saying anything so I'm giving you some space to think. I didn't expect it to be a hard question for you to answer but going by the silence from you, you can't answer it for me." His voice slowly raises in volume as he wipes his hand across his face. The raise in his voice has woken his parents.

"Mike, please don't leave," she pleads to him.

"Why not, Kate? I need to make sure that this attack isn't the reason you're here sharing my bed. That when I return from Darwin you will still be here; that you're not going to use work as a reason to end it like you did last time, or for me to misunderstand it as a reason for there to be no us any longer. How hard is that to understand? How hard is it to give me goddamn answer?" he says his voice raising with his anger. He waits but nothing is said. She looks to her feet and he turns and walks to the bedroom door. Just before he opens the door to leave he turns and says one last thing to her.

"Maybe I should have stayed in Sydney, then at least my heart wouldn't be hurting again." he says with venom in his voice. He walks out of the room and heads to the kitchen, picking up his car keys off the bench before leaving the house. Slamming the door behind him, he doesn't think about the other guests in the house before getting into his car and driving off.

Kate hears him collect the car keys, the house door slamming and his car starting up before driving off. She closes the bedroom door and climbs back into bed, grabbing his pillow, rolling over and hugging it before breaking down into tears.


	15. Chapter 15

Bill and Janet get up and out of bed, both knowing by the force of the door slamming that it was Mike who left the house.

"That didn't sound too good," Janet says as the echo from the door dies down..

"No, it didn't. You go to her and I will try to ring him and find out where he has gone," Bill says to his wife as he quickly throws some clothes on and she puts on her dressing gown.

"We both know he was worried about this if he returned; if he could handle it, being around her."

"I know and I'm the one who pushed him to come back here, not to give up his job and everything just because of her. Maybe I did the wrong thing?"

"Bill, you did what you thought was best for our son. He can't kept running from her or how he feels about her."

"I know and that is what I told him. If I knew this was going to happen then maybe I would have let him do what he wanted to do, then maybe she would know how much he is hurting over everything that has gone on between the two of them. They just both too damn stubborn for their own good at times."

"Yes, anyway I'd better go check on her," Janet says as she leaves the room. Bill sits on the bed shaking his head, before heading towards the kitchen.

As Janet slowly opens the door the light from the hall way starts to illuminate the room. She sees Kate's small body curled up in the bed and hears the muffled sobbing. She walks over to the bed and sits down, pulling Kate towards her. Janet says nothing right away, she just allows Kate to let it all out.

While in the kitchen Bill tries ringing Mike, who ignores his calls, then gets his mobile out and sends Mike a text, hoping that he will at least read it and reply.

Bill then starts thinking to himself, _I can understand where you're coming from__,__ son__. S__he__'__s hurt you, you've hurt her. You just want to make sure it's not going to happen again. You promised yourself you weren't going to let her back into you__r__ bed__,__ let alone your heart__, b__ut whatever happened once you came back here__,__ and __with our arrival,__ has made you chan__g__e your mind again. I just hope for __your__ own sake__,__ son__,__ that you can __both __sort it out one way or the other__. __I just wish I kept my nose out of it all and let you do what you wanted__.__ I should have let you quit, let you do something else. God__,__ I feel so guilty, like I have played a part in all of this. Kate really does have your heart__,__doesn't she__? M__ore than you even care to let on to us._

As he waits he makes himself a coffee, knowing somewhere within himself that it is going to be a long night.

Mike drives to the coastline of Cairns and finds a secluded car park before parking up the car. While driving he had ignored his ringing mobile, thinking it was most likely Kate. Once he stops the car he checks the caller ID and sees his home number on the screen, alongside a text from his father's mobile. He sits there contemplating whether he should open the message. He finally brings himself to open it but then he can't look at it; it takes him another five minutes before he finds the courage to look at the screen and start reading.

**Son****,**** it's Dad****. C****an you ring me please**,** I'm worried.** Mike types a reply back.

_Will ring soon, need to think._

**Where are you? Do you want me there to talk to?**

_I'm ok right now_._ I just want to be alone to sort myself out._

**If you need me just ring or text****,**** I'll be up till you c****o****me home.**

_Thanks __D__ad._

**No problem****,**** son****. T****hat is what parents are for.** is the last message sent. Mike does not respond to it, he gets out of the car and heads to the beach, sitting down on the sand to think.

Back at the house, Janet is with Kate. The tears have subsided but she is not sure if Kate has fallen asleep or whether she has run out of energy to cry.

"It's alright, honey, we're here for you," Janet says quietly when she feels Kate move within her embrace. As Kate hears this she somehow succumbs to the tiredness that she is feeling and falls asleep, still clutching Mike's pillow to her chest. Five minutes later, Janet notices her breathing even out and feels her body relax within the embrace. She moves to check on Kate and notices her eyes are closed. _She is asleep now, that is good. Hopefully tomorrow we can find out what is going on._

She moves off the bed and heads out to the lounge where she finds her husband sitting on the couch, coffee cup in his hand.

"Did she say anything?" he asks when he hears her softly walking towards him.

"Nope. She just cried and then went to sleep after I told her we're here for her. Whatever they were talking about has really upset her." Bill just shakes his head and she continues. "The last time I saw her like this was after I told her she had lost her and Mike's baby, but I think it is worse this time."

"Maybe it has finally hit her; the loss of Jim's child?"

"Maybe, but from what we heard I think it's got to do with them on a personal level."

"Yes and I'm to blame for that. I pushed him to come back here."

"Bill, you two are as bad as each other." He looks at her, puzzled.

"You both like to think it is your fault when things go wrong," she continues. "All you did was tell our son to stand up for himself, to not let her push him away from the place he has lived for the last ten years at least, for him to tell her how he felt about her. No one, not even us, knew that when he returned this would happen to her. When it comes to her, he can't help himself; he has to be there to save her, just like someone else I know. But, Bill, he made the choice to listen to what you said and return." They sit there in silence for about five minutes before she speaks again.

"Did you get in touch with him?"

"Yes he sent me a text and said he needs alone time to think and sort himself out. I told him I will still be up when he gets home, if he comes home."

"He will come home."

"I hope so." He glances toward the clock on the wall and notices the time is close to midnight. "Why don't you go to bed and try to get some sleep. I'll stay up till he gets home."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Kate will need you tomorrow, depending on what Mike does, so go get some sleep." Janet heads off to bed and Bill flicks the TV on, turning the sound right down so it can only just be heard, and sits there staring at the screen.

"Mike?" his father asks quietly when he hears the front door open at 4am.

"Yes, Dad?" he replies as he goes to sit down on the couch beside his father.

"How are you feeling?" Mike just shrugs his shoulders.

"Talk to me, Mike. What got you so upset?"

"I asked her to make a choice about us. I told her if she wanted us to have a relationship, work was not to be used as an excuse or a reason to hide behind; that we need to be honest with each other even if we think it is best not to. So many times she accused me of using work and Hammersley as a reason not to face things with her and now she's not happy because I don't want her using them like I did."

"What was her answer, son?"

"She didn't answer. I gave her time to answer but she didn't say a damn thing to me. Surely if she wants this just as much as me, she would have been able to say something to me, not give me silence."

"I'm sorry, son, for pushing you to come back here. I should've allowed you to resign like you wanted to."

"No, Dad. I made the choice to listen to what you said,and you were right. I have lived here in Cairns for over ten years, I can't let her push me away from a place I love living. Going to Darwin looks like a good idea now. I didn't really want to go but now, after our talk, it might be best."

"Why do you think that, son?"

"Well it will give us space, which, after this, might be a good idea; give us both time to think and allow everything to settle down." Kate is walking down the hall to the kitchen and pauses when she hears the voices.

"Are you going to use the time to build walls up so you can't let her in?" Bill asks his son, who does not reply.

"Mike, please be honest with me?"

"I'm sick of getting hurt, Dad. I know I've not been perfect and some of our problems are from me, but not saying anything to me when I asked her hurt. She never said a word to me. She rolled away from me, she didn't even stay cuddled up to me. Her actions said more to me than her not speaking. I'm so confused, Dad. I don't know what to do or how to feel. We keep hurting each other and all I wanted to do was stop some of the hurt, some of the reasons for the pain we cause each other, but maybe I'm just better off leaving and trying to get past everything that has happened between us; try and build myself a new life somewhere else, where I don't have memories of her."

"Mike, you will always have those memories and they will never go away. No matter where you go, they will follow you. You might think you can move on, son, but we both know that is not going to happen and I don't really want you coming home to mope around, regretting your decision to cut her out of your life again." Mike says nothing at all, Kate softly being very careful not to make a sound moves closer to them.

"Son, do you honestly think you can move on without her?"

"Honestly, Dad? No, I can't, but her happiness means more to me and if my demands are too much for her then-" He doesn't finish what he is saying because he feels a pair of arms snake around his neck and then a body slide onto his lap from his side. He immediately recognises the petite frame of Kate and wraps his arms around her as she snuggles down against his chest. She breathes in his scent; his smell helping ease her fears, calming her racing heart and helping relax her as she quickly drifts back to sleep. The three sit there in silence for about ten minutes before Bill talks.

"You going to be ok?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"I'd say by her actions, son, you mean a lot to her as well. Why don't you both go to bed. She's fallen asleep, so be careful how you get up."

"Thanks, Dad," he says as his father turns off the TV and heads to bed. Mike gently puts one arm under her legs, leaving the other one around her waist, as he slowly stands up and heads to his bedroom, feeling her arms tighten around his neck as he moves.

Once he in his room, he gently lays her down on the bed and goes to move her arms from around his neck.

"No,don't leave again," she says groggily. When he looks at her, he sees her eyes are still shut and her breathing is slow and even.

"Kate, I need to get changed so I can get into bed." As he finally gets her arms away from around his neck she talks again.

"Please don't leave. I love you, don't go," she pleads in her sleep, the statement tugging at his already shattered heart. As he is laying down in bed, about to pull the sheet and light blanket over them, she moves to snuggle into him. He wraps his arms around her, allowing her to get as close to him as she feels she needs. Not long later he joins Kate in the land of sleep.

Bill walks into the room he is sharing with his wife and climbs back into bed, feeling his wife snuggle into him as he lies down.

"What time is it?"

"Go back to sleep, honey," he says as he wraps his arms around her, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Is Mike home yet?"

"Yes. He got in around four, we've been talking."

"How is he?"

"Talk about it later, I really need some sleep."

"Is he on the couch or in bed with Kate?" she says as she looks at him.

"In bed with Kate, she joined us. Well, she came down and sat on Mike's lap and went back to sleep so I sent them to bed. Going by the hold Kate had around his neck, she wasn't going to be letting go anytime soon."

"Good. So when I get up I don't have to worry about a sleeping Mike in the lounge."

"Nope, not at all. Now go back to sleep please, my dear."

"You too," she says as they share a tender gentle kiss and she lays her head back down on his chest, both drifting off to sleep.

Around 7am Janet wakes and gently moves away from the sleeping form of her husband, allowing him to sleep some more. She gets up and heads to the kitchen to make herself a coffee and some breakfast while she quietly reads the morning paper that has been delivered. She also rings Maxine to let her know that Mike and Kate won't be in till later that morning, without going into the details of what happened the night before.

Around 10am Mike wakes to find Kate still wrapped around him. He lies there taking in her sleeping form and thinking about what was said between them. With his head resting on one arm, he starts to softly run his other hand through her hair as his mind starts going over things.

Kate feels Mike move under her. Hoping he is not going to move and get up, she keeps her breathing even. Despite the fact she has been awake for some time now, she hasn't wanted to move and make him aware of it just in case this is the very last time she will get to be this close to him. She feels his hand softly running through her hair, a calming gesture he has often used in the past. Before she knows it, she feels her eyes water up and then she lets out a soft sob, which startles Mike out of his present daydream.

"Kate, everything ok?" he asks as he looks down at her. He feels his chest starting to get wet from her tears that have started to fall.

"I told myself I wasn't going to cry," she says weakly.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because this is the last time I will get to be this close to you. The last time I can touch you like this," she says, still not looking at him. She doesn't want to see the look on his face; the guilt he might have at how she is feeling and for him leaving again.

"What makes you say that?"

"Last night, I didn't answer your question then I overheard you talking to your dad about leaving for good," she says quietly, her hand drawing circles on his chest. He swallows the lump in his throat and at the same time controls the urge to roll her over and have his way with her, all from the circles she is drawing on his chest. He shakes his head to try and clear his mind. Kate feels his body tense at what she is doing, she notices that his hand has not stop running through her hair, she keeps drawing her circles on his chest slowly working her way down.

"Yes, I spoke to dad about leaving. All I want is for you to be happy and if I can't do it for you then I will leave. That will allow you to move on without me around and give me a chance to find some balance for myself without having to be reminded that I wasn't the one for you," he manages to get out. She keeps running her finger in circles on his chest and he notices she has slowly been progressing further down his chest as he has spoken.

"Last night you threw me. I know I've used work against you and you have the right to ask me not to do the same thing but, Mike, sometimes I will have no choice in the matter. I may have to hold information back from you because I have been told not to tell you. I know moving away from you probably didn't help, but I needed to move away to try and think. So much has been going on that I just didn't know what to say."

"There is a difference between with holding for security reason and doing what you did because of Maxine, honey, and I know you know the difference."

"Point taken," she replies. They lay there quietly, both thinking. Mike tries to think of things to calm down the reactions he is getting from her simple touch and resist the urges of his body. He moves his hand from her hair to her back and starts rubbing it up and down.

"You make me happy and always will," she comes out with. He lies there with a smile on his face.

"I don't want anyone else but you, but as I said last night I'm not used to long lasting relationships or men staying around. I know I need to work on things, we both do, but I want you more than anything in the world. I want what we have been experiencing this week, except for the part about the attack, of course." She moves to look at him. "Please, Mike. Can you give me one more chance? I promise I won't wreck it this time around. I love you," she says, looking him in the eye as she speaks those three little words to his face for the first time, not to his chest. Tears fall down her face and his hand slides from her back to her neck. Pulling her toward him, he leans forward and their lips meet. His hands cup her face and the kiss is soft and gentle but fulled with hope, passion and the love they have for each other. They break apart when they both need air, their foreheads touching as they try and calm their breathing.

"You promise?" Mike manges to get out.

"Yes, I promise. I love you more than anything in this world," she says again as she looks him in the eye.

"And I love you too, Kate," he replies before he kisses her again. As they kiss the feelings they are experiencing seem so different to what they normal experience with each other. They kiss and touch each other and before long they are experiencing a bliss they have never had before. It is almost as if speaking those three words like she did has opened up a whole other side to her, to them. One where their love for each other seems stronger than it has been before. As if they are one, their lovemaking is much more passionate than they have ever experienced. After they have gotten their breathing back under control, they lay there, bodies intertwined together.

"That was unbelievable," he says as he lies there with her, still feeling the effects of their lovemaking.

"Wow! I now understand what people mean when they say making love can be unbelievable when it is with the one you truly love," Kate says.


	16. Chapter 16

Mike enters the kitchen after having a shower. Janet, who is in the lounge reading a book, notices the arrival of her son when she hears the tap in the sink turn on.

"How are you doing?" she asks him.

"Not too bad."

"What happened last night?"

"Can we not talk about it please, Mum?"

"Sure, if that is what you want?"

"It is, thanks," he says before putting the kettle on.

"I rang Maxine for you, and told her that you both won't be in till later today," she says to him

"Thanks, Mum," he says as he goes about making a late breakfast for Kate and himself.

Janet is still sitting in the lounge reading her book when Kate enters the kitchen and wraps her arms around Mike's waist. She witnesses them share a kiss and smiles; it is not one of the normal quick peck on the lips type of kiss. Mike and Kate hug each other before they both head to the table to eat, Mike carrying the breakfast and Kate the coffee.

Not long later they have finished eating breakfast, Mike excuses himself to go and get ready for work.

"Thank you for last night," Kate says as she sits down beside Janet.

"That is what we are here for, honey. Have the two of you worked things out after last night?"

"Yeah, we have started to work things out, but maybe we wouldn't be in this position if I had taken more care and thought about how and when I told him of the pregnancy." Her voice is quiet and soft as she speaks to Janet.

"Sometimes, honey, we don't know how to approach things," she replies as she wraps an arm around Kate's shoulders.

"Yeah, you're right on that one. But still, I should have told him sooner than I did. Maybe then things would've been a lot better between us sooner."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, what's done is done. The main thing is that you have learnt from your mistake."

"Yeah, I have."

"Then that is all that matters, and that you have apologised to the other party." There are a few moments of silence before Kate speaks again.

"I should get ready to go to work, thanks for listening."

"Anytime, honey, you will always be a part of this family regardless of where things stand with Mike and yourself. I will always be a phone call away, no matter what." Kate gets up and heads off to get changed.

As Kate enters the bedroom she finds Mike sitting down on his bed, looking at a shoe box in his hands. She walks over to him, unsure what he is looking at or why he is still not dressed for work. As she sits down beside him, she looks into the box and sees some photos of the two of them, from when they were first together.

"I didn't know you still had these," she says as he flicks through them.

"I never got rid of them. I put them in this box and then placed them at the top of my wardrobe. I did try and throw them out, but was unable to do it."

"We look so carefree back then," she says as she sees some of to the photos, them in plain clothes enjoying each other's company.

"Well, some of these were taken in Mum and Dad's backyard where we didn't have to worry about being caught by anyone we knew. The others are all ones taken when on R&R with the crew, or work related." They sit there looking through them together.

"You know we really should be heading into Navcom."

"Yeah, I know. I just got side-tracked by these," he says, standing up. As he drops the box on the bed, it tips over and everything falls out, including a small velvet box. Kate sees it and looks up at him as he bends over the bed to start picking up the items.

"Mike?" Her voice is unsure as she picks up the box and passes it to him. He looks at her, then takes the box from her and places it back in the shoe box.

"Was that how serious you were about us?" she asks, keeping her voice soft.

"Yes," he replies as he finishes putting everything back in the box.

"When were you planning on doing it?"

"I was going to ask you the first time we were together. I hadn't worked out when or where, but I had seriously thought about it and had gotten the ring made up before I left you, then I had planned on doing it in Tahiti but yeah." His voice trails off at the end. As he gets changed into his whites, Kate gets up off the bed and remains silent as she changes into her whites. They finish getting changed in silence, both thinking about what could have been.

They arrive at Navcom and quickly get to work, Maxine notices and wonders if they just doing this because they have come in late or if there is something else going.

During the rest of the afternoon Maxine keeps an eye on both of them. She notices that Kate doesn't talk much when she comes in to hand over typed up reports or to receive new reports to type. She also notices how Mike spends most of his time on the phone, while typing away on his laptop.

Around 1400 hours Mike receives a phone call from Agent Murphy, letting him know they have narrowed down the suspect pool and have only three more people to finish checking out. Mike is pleased to hear their progress, and that they are hoping to know who it is within the next few days.

Just before 1430 hours, Maxine catches Mike looking at Kate the way he used to look at her. She goes back into her office and before long Mike enters her office with paperwork for her, shutting the door behind him.

"Max, can we talk?" Mike asks as he walks up to her desk and drops some reports on it for her to sign.

"Sure thing, what do you want to talk about?" Maxine asks as she signs her name on some paperwork.

"It is about the conversation you had with Kate a few months ago, regarding my request to fleet command."

"Oh," Maxine replies as she leans back in her chair and looks at Mike. There is silence in the room while Mike waits for her to tell him why she did what she did. After several quiet minutes, he decides to speak to her again.

"Well, Maxine, are you going to explain to me why you called her into your office, and not myself, regarding the matter?"

"I'm not blind, Mike. I saw the way you looked at her; the way you interacted with each other. I could see rumors starting about the two of you, and I knew the only way to stop it was to talk to her about it. I was hoping I was wrong about my suspicions, but I wasn't. I had hoped she had no idea you were going to fleet command but she did, and then her look of shock when I told her you were reassigned for another twelve months as Hammersley CO was the final nail in the coffin."

"Which is another thing, Maxine. Who the hell approved that without asking me first, and why the hell hadn't I been told?" he says, his voice slightly raised in volume.

"It was a fleet command decision, Mike."

"They may have made the decision, Maxine, but you should've told me about it and not had my XO doing your dirty work."

Kate spins in her chair, intending to go to Maxine's office, when she sees Mike standing in front of Maxine's desk. His gestures and body language indicating he is not impressed, she decides to turn back around and continue her work.

"I didn't use her to tell you, Mike."

"Yes you did, Maxine, because you knew I wouldn't be happy with the decision. My crew knew, after my kidnapping, how I was looking forward to stepping down as CO and resuming my desk job. I had made a number of mistakes over those last six months; mistakes a CO shouldn't be making, not one that has been doing that same job for ten years. They would have been ok as a rookie mistake, but not for an experienced CO. You had even pulled me up on a couple of them. You should have realised, Maxine, that it was time to take me off; replace me." Mike pauses, allowing his words to sink in before talking again. "You had no right to use Kate like you did. Any problems you had about my decision to go to fleet command should have been voiced to me, not her. I told her I didn't want to stay on and that I would sort it out."

"I thought you were doing it just to be with her. For some fling or fascination you had with her, since you two had been working together for so long," she says then looks down at her hands. Mike can tell there is something else there, something she would like to say, and he has some idea what it is.

"Max, I doubt that was the full reason you did what you did, but you had no right to go to her like that. None at all. I could lay charges against you for providing private information to her. Information that should've stayed between fleet command, you and myself and that is all."

The room is silent again as they both think. Maxine thinking about what Mike has said and Mike thinking about what to say to her next as he sits down in one of the chairs.

"I'm sorry, Mike," she says softly.

"Sorry isn't good enough, Maxine. You have no idea what you destroyed by doing what you did. You may have thought it might get us back together, but that will never happen again. I thought we were friends, Max?" he says.

"We are, Mike."

"Are we? If we are, then why haven't you told me about what you did that day?" Maxine doesn't respond to Mike's question.

"That is what I thought. You wanted to warn her off so you could have a free shot at me without worrying about her." The guilty look on her face tells him he has hit the nail on the head. "Max, there will be nothing more than friendship between us now. I don't have the same feelings I once had for you. Kate has my heart and even if I try to love someone else she will always have it. You are just going to have to learn to live with the choice I have made, Max, because I would hate to lose our friendship over it all. It is hard enough that Ryan is struggling with the news that I am his real father and not his godfather. He doesn't need us doing what you and Stuart did." Mike pauses, allowing the last part of his statement to sink in to Maxine; for her to understand that he knows what her divorce from Stuart, and the subsequent loss of contact with the man he had known as his father, did to Ryan. "Max, you're just going to have to accept that Kate is part of my family. My mother has taken her as one of the family; she has done since they first met. Why do you think they are still up here?" The room is silent again as Mike waits for her to respond, but as time ticks by he realises she has nothing to say.

"I'm not happy with what you did, and I would love to have you pay for it, but since it happened a few months ago it seems pointless bringing it all up. I'm not happy that you did what you did, Maxine. It will take me some time to feel better about it, but you will never be forgiven," he says before heading back to his own office to finish his reports.

Maxine sits in her office, mentally assessing the choices she has made. Ten minutes later, she gets up off her chair and heads to Mike's office. She knocks on the door and waits for permission to enter, finding herself under Mike's scrutiny as she walks in.

"What can I do to help?" she asks and Mike is left partially shocked by her question. He takes a few moments to gather himself and think before answering her.

"You can find out why she didn't get her promotion for a start. You should also know that it was the first time she has been put forward and knocked back. Every other time she has been up for promotion she has gotten it. Imagine how you would feel if your first and only knock-back for promotion comes when going for Lieutenant Commander; for a CO position that she has done a number of times over the last four years."

"Ok, I will look into it to find out why she didn't get the promotion."

"Good, and another thing, when I go away to Darwin keep an eye on her and ring my parents if you think it is needed. I'm going to be gone for several months."

"Are you sure about this?"

"As I said in your office, Maxine, I don't want to lose our friendship, and if you want to make it up to me then this is a good start. It is important for Ryan's sake that you do this, Max. Sometimes you've got to make the first move to get things moving in the right direction," Mike says, remembering one of his fathers favourite sayings. This puts his brain into overdrive and as he has a thought, he excuses himself from his office and heads off. Maxine heads back to her office and notices Mike walk up to Kate, whose face lights up with a smile after their brief conversation. Maxine gets back to the pile of paperwork that needs her attention.

Mike walks away from Kate feeling happy about his sudden idea for them. He gets out his mobile phone and rings his home number. His mother answers the phone and he explains what he has in mind. His mother thinks it is a brilliant idea and she in turn helps him out by getting a few things sorted out with the help of his father.

Half an hour later, Mike and Kate are heading home. All Kate knows is they are going to spend the next few days away from everyone and everything. She likes this idea; time to be alone with each other and enjoy each other's company. She just wished she knew where they were going so she had an idea of what to pack, but Mike is refusing to tell her any details.

Unknown to Kate, Mike has asked his mother to collect some of Kate;s clothes from her place, and since his mother knows where they are going she will know what to pack.

Once they are home, Mike tells Kate to dress comfortably and wear flat soled shoes. She is still not sure what is going on but decides to trust him enough to go along with whatever he has planned. She follows his instructions and orders dinner from their favourite Chinese takeaway while Mike heads back to his room and adds the last few things to the bag of clothes he is taking. With a smile on his face as he picks up his bag, he gets Kate and texts his parents that they are leaving the house and will be arriving at the location in twenty minutes, after picking up their dinner.


	17. Chapter 17

As they arrive at the port of Cairns where pleasure cruises and yacht's are moored, Kate looks at Mike with puzzlement.

"Mike why are we here, I thought you said you where taking me away for a few days?"

"I am." he replies back with as he gets out of the car and goes to the boot getting out his bag. He walks around and opens the door for Kate.

"You coming or staying there?" he says to her. She gets out of the car bringing the food with her. She is quiet as they walk down the pier. As they near one of the boats Mike slows down and stops. Kate looks at the boat, it looks familiar to her, then it clicks to her.

"Mike what is your parents boat doing here in Cairns?"

"Dad gave it to me while I was away after the ceremony, I brought her up on my leave before starting back at Navcom."

"Why did he give it to you?"

"Mum and him thought it be a nice present for me, also dad said it meant I could get out on the water on my time off." he says as he steps on. "You coming?" he asks when he notices she hasn't followed him.

"Um yea." she replies back as she steps on board, as they go down below they run into his parents.

"Right everything is ready to go for you two, enjoy yourselves." Bill says to Mike and Kate.

"Thanks mum and dad." Mike replies as the four head topside. Mike starts up the boat engine as his father unhooks the ropes that moor the boat to the pier. Mike slowly guides the boat out off the pier and out in to the harbour and the awaiting ocean..

"I suppose this is one way of making sure we have no one around." she says to him as they are cruising along.

"I did tell you I would take you away from everyone and everything. Just us two for the next couple of days." He replies as the boat speeds up as they hit open water. Kate heads below to get their dinner dished up and brings it up to where Mike is, she sits down and starts to eat, handing Mike his, which he also tucks into.

About an hour later Mike is slowing down the boat, maneuvering it in towards the coast so they can drop anchor for the night. Kate looks out towards the bench and sees all bush around, no houses. She smiles then looks at Mike.

"See no one here but us." he says as he moves over to her and wraps his arms around her before placing a kiss on her lips.

The night is spent loving each other, pleasing each other in ways they never thought where possible. It is early the following morning before they find sleep, the gentle, familiar rhythm of the rocking boat, lulling them to sleep.

During the first day they spend away they spend a fear amount of it talking. Several times either one wanted to walk out on the other, but being stuck on the boat in the middle of the ocean became a god send to them both as when they had several heated arguments, they were able to keep working through the issues since neither one of them could walk away from the other, like they had done so many times before to each other. They talked about their jobs. They also talked about what they both wanted from a relationship, and also from each other. By the end of the day they had found some common ground, they both now seemed to be talking and thinking on the same page. As the evening drew to a end they both relaxed on the back of the boat enjoying watching the sun set. Not long later they both headed to bed. The previous nights activities and the day talking having drained them both mental, emotionally and psychical. Once in bed they both cuddled up to each other and before long they where both sound asleep.

The following morning they both woke just before the sun started to rise, they quietly headed out to the back of the boat to watch the sun rise. Kate stood and waited for Mike to sit and get comfortable before placing herself between his legs, rest her back against his chest, he then wraps his arms around her body, pulling her tightly against him, she then places her arms on top of his, relaxing in his embrace. They sit like this as the sun rises in the early morning sky. They may have seen many sun rises while working on Hammersley and other Naval boats but this sun rise had more of a personal, romantic feel to it, unlike the many others they have seen together over the years.

They spend the morning lazying around together on the boat enjoying each others company. As Kate prepares lunch Mike heads to the cabin they have been sharing and goes through his bag looking for the item he brought with him.

After they finish eating lunch Kate stands to take their plates back inside and as she returns to the deck Mike pulles her down on to his lap. His lips meeting hers in a loving gentle kiss.

"I want to give you something." he says after they pull apart from the kiss, as he reaches to pull something out of his pocket.

"Now I'm not asking you to marry me yet but I want to give you this as a sign of my commitment to you. To show you that I am dead serious about making this work, having that future we both talked about yesterday." He says as he passes her a small velvet box the one she remembers from the other day in his bedroom. She looks up at him having not even opened it yet. "Open it." he gentle says to her, she hesitates at the start not sure if she should open it or if she should just give it back to him. She decides to go with the first thought and slowly opens the box to see a beautifully set white gold ring with diamonds and ruby's set down in the white gold. She is unsure what to say, her mouth open like a fish.

"I want you to have it, so while I'm away in Darwin you can look at it and be reminded that I am going to be coming home to you, you can also wear it if you like on the chain that is also in the box so you can kept it close to you at all times." She pulls the ring out inspecting it. _OH MY GOD IT IS STUNNING. How did he know I like this type of setting where the gems are set into the gold not via clamps._ Kate thinks to her self as she looks it all over.

"You can wear it anyway you want but not on one certain finger, well not yet anyway." he says to her. She gentle lifts the part that was holding the ring in the box to find a matching white gold chain, she hands him the ring while she takes out the chain, which he then takes from her, he opens the clasp and slides the ring onto the chain and then puts it around her neck doing up the clasp. She steers down at the ring that is now sitting just above her chest, she then looks up at Mike while fingering the ring.

"It's a promise to you honey that when the time is right it will be moved to wear it belongs, to the finger of the woman I love, the same woman I had this ring made for." he says to her as he gentle places his hand over her one that is still holding the ring. Her eyes glass up and tears start to fall, she places her head on his chest, snuggling up to him, even though it is a lovely warm day she wants to be as close to him as she can get.

"Honey you ok?" he asks having notices the tears and her moving to snuggle into his chest.

"Yes." she mangers to say in reply to him.

"Then why the tears?" he asks thinking he has done something wrong.

"They're tears of happiness. I'm going to work hard not to stuff this up again I promise. But.." She stops talking.

"But what?" he asks unsureness coming out when he asked her even thought he was trying to keep his voice even.

"How did you know I liked these type of stones, and the way they are set down in the ring?" the worry he'd done something wrong replace with a smile to her question.

"Well I was a little nosey one day and looked into your jewellery box. I noticed the few rings you had, all the stones where set down into the ring and I also notices that you had a few items with Ruby's in them. Plus I also remember how you told me one day when I asked you why you didn't wear big fancy rings like some people did and you said you hated it when they got caught on things, that you preferred the stones to be set down, less change of catching and loosing the stones if the hooks holding them in broke. The jeweller I used to have this made up told me how to get your size with out have to take a ring in to him since where you lived and where he was where two different towns, hopefully when the day comes it is still the correct size for your finger." he says to her, before placing a kiss on the top of her head. She can't help herself but hold the ring and look at it. They stay like that for a good half an hour before mother nature calls and Mike has to get up and use the bathroom.

Kate sits back down in the space that Mike has just vacated. Still taking in what had been said by him not so long ago. A smile creeping up on her face at the thought of him promising to one day ask her to marry him, the promise that he is dead serious about her and their future together. As Mike returns back to the back of the boat he stops and watches her, he sees the smile on her face, he also notices how she is still looking at the ring that she has between her fingers.

_Now all we need is to find out who attacked her and get that dealt with before I leave and then everything should work out fine. _He thinks to himself before moving closer to her, he sits down beside her and wraps his arms around her again. Both happy to sit and listen to the sounds of the ocean.

Unknown to them while they have been out on the water sorting things out with each other and their future, there has been two people back on land figuring out what they are going to do to the two, and to her (Kate). Someone is after revenge for what has happened, but little does one of these people know is that they are being watched, everything they say and do is being monitored.


	18. Chapter 18

"Mike?" Kate asks sometime later, her voice with a hint of unsureness about it as she talks to him.

"Yea honey?" he replies back.

"The day your mum suspected that I might be pregnant and she had me take the test done, what where you thinking?" she asks him, her voice quiet, the ocean lapping against the boat, as they sit outside enjoying the sun and the view. He doesn't say anything at first and Kate is not sure if she has done the right thing asking him about that day, she feels him tense for a few moments before he holders her firmer.

"I had a number of different emotions running through my brain."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Well when mum suspect it and then it was confirmed I was cross no angry at myself for getting you pregnant. I blamed myself for not making sure it didn't happen. I was worried about your job within the navy and what would happen to it, plus you weren't young as such but you were in a way. But I was also happy I was going to be a father with someone I loved, with someone I could see a future with." There is a few moments of silence before he speaks again. "I was angry with myself never with you." he adds on after having felt her semi tense up with what he had said about his anger.

"What about this time around when I came to you on Hammersley and asked you what you would say if I was pregnant?"

"When I asked you about the rumor that was doing the rounds and you said what you did to me I felt some relief but then you asked me about how I would feel if you were, I was left feeling confused."

"Confused?" she asks him as she looks up at his face, noticing how he is looking out over the water and doesn't look down at her when she looks up.

"Yes confused."

"Why?"

"Because you said one thing then asked something else. I wasn't sure what you were saying no to, no that you weren't pregnant or no to the information being a rumor but real because you wanted to find out how I felt about the subject of you carrying someone else's child before saying that you were in fact pregnant to Jim, confirming my worse fear in the process, but I know by walking off I never gave you an answer but I just couldn't express how I was feeling and walking away was my only opinion and I also felt like I was giving you some of the medicine that you have been giving me when anything personal between us came up."

"What was your worse fear at that time?"

"That what you said when you cancelled Tahiti and said you didn't want us was in fact true. And that for once I allowed myself to follow my heart, I even tried to find out what was wrong so I could fix it, I told myself I had to fight this time, to then find out the person I loved, who I thought loved me and wanted a future with me in fact never really did, that they actual loved someone else and that I was second best for them, someone they were using." he stops unable to keep on talking, his voice starting to show emotions in it. He takes some deep breaths which Kate feels.

They sit there in silence. Kate thinking about what he has said. _He thought I was using him, I know now that he knows Maxine had something to do with me ending it but back then he wouldn't have had any idea. I made him feel second best. God I stuffed up didn't I. _She thinks to her self.

"I may not have shown it well over the last five years but your happiness has been my main concern, even when you where with Jim, it hurt like hell but as long as you where happy that was all that matter. Even this time around when I was trying to fix this and then found out you were with Jim. Though I sometimes wondered if you where doing it to get back at me to see what I might do, how much I would fight to get off the boat. But somehow deep down I had this feeling that it wouldn't matter what happened as long as Jim was around there was no hope in hell of me winning you back." He says to her after a period of silence from her. His voice sounding a tad defeated at having to talk about this.

"You where never second best." She randomly comes out with.

"Well I felt like, and it semi made me realise what you must of felt like when it came to me and Maxine at times. But I never ever thought you would do that not after what you told me the first time you where with Jim and had me up about the way i was acting."

There is more silence on the boat. Mike gets up and moves down stairs to the cabin where they have been sleeping. He lays down on the bed and puts his arm over his eyes trying to hold in the tears that want to flow free

**BACK ON DRY LAND**

Agent Murphy is talking to Mikes dad. Mikes car has just been found with all it's wheels thrashed. The agents knowing Mike is out on the water deal with his father over the matter.

"Mr Flynn, when is Mike and Kate due back in?"

"Mike said they will either be back later tonight or first thing tomorrow. They have to be back tomorrow as Kate has a doctors appointment to find out if she can go back out to sea and Mike has to head to Darwin on Tuesday. He did tell you that didn't he?"

"Yes he did inform us that the Navy has him going to Darwin for a few months to take over for a Captain who is taking some time off."

"Any idea who might of done this to his car?"

"We have a fear idea who is behind it, we will get the camera footage and take it back and go through it and go from there, also I need both you and your wife to come down to the station we have a few more questions to ask you."

"Sure thing we can do that.." they talk a little bit more making a time for himself and his wife to go down and talk to Agent Murphy.

Agent Adam was busy taking notes on one of the suspects that Agent Murphy has under surveillance, and unknown to Agent Murphy Agent Adam has just been given a name of someone who is going to be of great help in getting more information regarding Kate's attack.

**4.30pm**

Agent Murphy is sitting at his desk when Agent Adam comes and sees him, they say their hello's.

"I have some more information for you Greg, the name Ben Redington came up in their conversations. She asked if he had done what she had asked to be done, he informed her that he had done part of the job but was unable to do the other part of the job as the car was parked at the marina, he thinks they may be out on the water right now as he has not seen them at home for a few days either and it was only by luck that he came across their car. Has something happened to Mr Flynn's vechile?"

"Yes it has it was found today with all its tires slashed. So it sounds like Miss Cruise might be the one behind all of this, and that Kate's mother is not involved with the attack. Have you been able to track down where this Ben Redington lives?"

"There are three that I can located all within an hours drive of Cairns, I have already got officers going to pick them all up and bring them in for you."

"Thank you Ken when will the first one be here?"

"The first one will be arriving in about ten minutes I informed the officers doing it that they are to page you and myself when they arrive with the suspects. I also did back ground checks and I think this might be the one you are after." he says to Greg as he passes over information on one of the three they have coming in. "He has a record with the police for assault, wilful damage, stalking, theft. These other two.." He says as he passes over information on the other two. "Have no records with the police at all par this one having gotten two speeding tickets six months ago which were over turned due to the course of events surrounding the reason he got them." Greg goes over the information that has been brought to him and him and Ken talk some more before a call comes through alerting them to the arrival of their first Ben Redington to interview.

Come 9pm Agent Murphy has figured out which Ben Redington it is that is involved. It didn't take long for him to start confessing what he had done that day to Mike's car once Agent Murphy start telling him that he had been seen, and that they had witness who were prepared to pick him out of a line up and also video footage of the event.

The following morning would provide more interesting for Agent Murphy and Agent Adam.

**Back at Mike's house** his parents are busy sitting down enjoying their evening when the house phone goes off. Bill looks at his watch which reads and is he starts to wonder who would ring at this hour of the evening, he gets up and answers the phone.

"Dad did you take my car back home?" is the reply he gets, it takes him a few seconds to click to the voice and what is being asked of him. He then remembers he forgot to ring Mike and inform him of what had happened to his car.

"Hi Mike, and no your car is at the police impound."

"ITS WHAT?" he yells over the phone to his father.

"You two back?"

"Yes dad we are I went to load our bags in the car to find it not where I left it?"

"Ok I'll be down soon to collect you both and then I will explain about your car."

"You better." he says before hanging up his mobile and walking back to the boat wondering what has happened to his car that his father wont tell him over the phone.


	19. Chapter 19

"Dad so what happened to my car" Mike asks when he sees his father get on the boat.

"Someone slashed all your tires."

"What, why?"

"Not sure Agent Murphy is pretty sure it is related to Kate's attack. There was camera footage of it. He is dealing with it don't worry about it." Mike says nothing; though he does shake his head as he walks off the boat helping Kate get off before his father finishes off locking it up for them.

All three quietly walk to the car his father has hired, before returning home.

"Dad do you know when I will get me car back?" Mike asks once they are home.

"No idea sorry you will need to talk to Agent Murphy about that." He replies back with.

"Mike, Kate have you too eaten dinner yet?"

"Yes mum we have, we decided to come in tonight as Kate's appointment is first thing tomorrow morning." He says as Kate heads off to have a shower.

While in the shower Mike rings and leaves a message for Agent Murphy to contact him when he gets a chance and to also let him know that they are now back home. He is pleased they have Kate's car, so he gets his father to take him to the naval base to collect it so that they can get to Kate's hospital appointment in the morning. Since the attack it has been sitting in the underground car park.

After getting out of the shower Kate heads to the lounge and finds Janet sitting down watching the television.

"Feel better sweetie?" she says when she notices Kate sitting down on the couch.

"Yes I do thanks. Nothing beats a nice hot shower."

"I nice soak in a hot bath would." She replies back with.

"Yes now that would be nice. But I think I would fall asleep if I had one."

"How was your time away?"

"Good we talked some more, got a lot of things out in the open. Dealt with a few issues we have. It was draining but good for both of us. I think we're both feeling a lot better about things. Well I am after he gave me this." Kate says as she pulls out the ring the ring that is around her neck. "He said it was a promise that he will be back, a promise for that future we talked about before I stuffed everything up." When Janet sees the ring she smiles. They're moving forward together which is so good to hear and see. Now only time will tell if what they say again to each other does come true. Janet thinks to herself. As she watches Kate tuck it back under her top.

The two sit in silence as they watch the programme on T.V.

Fifteen minutes later Mike and Bill return and home. As it is late Mike informs his parents that he is off to have a shower then is going to bed, Kate also says goodnight to his parents before heading to Mike's bedroom, to read in bed while she waits for him to shower.

The following morning as all four are eating breakfast Mike's mobile rings and it is Agent Murphy requesting Kate and himself to come down to the station. They agree on a time to meet up.

**Cairns General Hospital**

"Lieutenant McGregor" a nurse called out to the waiting room. Kate and Mike both stand and walk towards the nurse who leads them through to the doctor's room.

"The doctor will be through in a moment to speak to you both." The nurse says before leaving the room.

"Welcome Mike, Kate good to see you both. So how your feeling Kate?" the doctor asks as he sits down.

"Not too bad, eager to get back to work."

"Well the x-ray we took earlier on this morning looks good the hairline crack is healing wonderfully. Has your arm been causing you any pain?"

"The first few days it did but after that it has been fine."

"Now the blood work we took last week is also looking good, I do need to do another blood test today and one each week till it shows no signs of hcg in your system. I know it might be a bit hard with patrols but whenever you are back here at base you need to come in and get it done."

"So I'm fully cleared for work then?"

"Well that depends on how this appointment goes and how the answers to my questions go as well."

"Ok fire away then." She says back to the doctor.

"I have it noted down here that when you came in last week that the bleeding at stop is that correct."

"Yes that is true."

"That is good to hear, now have you had any cramping or discomfort?"

"No not at all. Everything seems fine. The first few days I had some discomfort but nothing major within a couple of days I was fine, par feeling a tad tired but by the end of the week I was feeling normal again."

"That is good to know. Now I'm going to ask a very personal question here Kate and I need you to be honest with me. Have you since the miscarriage had intercourse?"

She looks down at her hands and then answers him with a very quiet yes.

"Was it protected or unprotected?"

"Both."

"Kate you do now what unprotected intercourse can lead too?"

"Yes I do it was a heat of the moment thing and it never crossed either of our minds at the time, thought I did know at the time that Mike had no protection in the house and I wasn't taking anything but after that we did use protection."

"Ok then well I will have to note that down on the files here. I can't give you anything to take till we know if you are or aren't pregnant."

"But I just had a miscarriage I can't get pregnant that quick." She says to the doctor.

"Kate you can, your period comes when your bodies discards the unfertilized egg. So you can fall pregnant again straight away."

"Great just what we need." Kate says not sounding at all happy.

"Honey if it happens, it happens we will deal with it." Mike says as he places one hand on her back gentle rubbing up and down and his other hand on her knee.

"But Mike there is so much else going on right now we don't need more complications."

"Kate don't worry about it. The doctor will keep an eye on things via your blood work and if you are we will then talk about it but right now let's just worry about getting you cleared fit for duty. Hammersley needs her 2IC back." He says sounding positive about it all. "Doctor how long before you know if she is or isn't pregnant?"

"A week or two. Either her hcg levels will go up or down, up means she is, down means she isn't."

"At this stage Kate you are cleared fit for sea duty. Till we know the hcg results just do things as per normal but if you experience any of the symptoms you had last time around let me know or your medic and go from there."

"Well do doctor."

"I will fax through your medical report to Commander White and she can let you know when Hammersley sails again with you on board." He says the group say their goodbyes before Mike and Kate leave the office, and the doctor writes up his report for Maxine.

"Kate I meant what I said in there we will worry about it later. If you are it is fine." Mike says as they walk back to the car to head off to see Agent Murphy.


	20. Chapter 20

As Mike and Kate drive towards the police station to meet up with Agent Murphy Mike, notices Kate is very quiet, every time it takes a quick look at her he notices she is steering out the side window.

"Kate honey you ok?" he asks her and gets no reply, so he gentle places his hand on her knee and gives it a gentle rub, this brings her attention back to him.

"You ok honey?" he asks when he sees her looking at him.

"Yea just thinking about how stupid I am."

"You're not stupid, we both could have stopped things but we didn't. Plus we should have remembered from last time as well. This is not all your fault."

"But Mike we're not in a place to have a family, we've been through so much lately."

"And we will cross that bridge if and when it happens. Right now the best thing you can do is not worry about it."

"But what if I am and then I go back to work and something happens."

"Honey if you are pregnant and it is meant to be then it won't matter what happens it will live. I know you and I don't believe in god as much as others but I do know that we both believe things happen for a reason. You lost Jim's baby due to the stress and the attack that was directed at you. Your one tuff women and I know for a fact for you to say the things you did to me meant you were in a lot of pain from that attack. But right now what we need to work on is finding out why my car was vandalised and if Agent Murphy has found out who was behind your attack yet. Then after this we will go see Maxine and find out when Hammersley sails so that you can return to her." As he is talking to her his hand stays on her thigh gentle rubbing his thumb in a circle his actions with his hand speak to her more than his words, for Kate it shows her he is there for her through this and is not backing away from her.

The rest of the car trip is in silence; Ten minutes later they arrive at the police station and head inside. Once they arrive at the front desk they inform the office that is stationed there that they are here to see Agent Murphy, within Five minutes they are being escorted through the police station to his desk.

"Mike, Kate thank you for coming down." Agent Murphy says to them when he arrives at his desk noticing their arrival.

"No Problem Greg, but I would like to know what is going on with my car and when I can get it back?"

"Ok Mike you will get your car back in a day or two, we have caught the person who was behind the slashing of the tires, but we want to go through the whole car with a fine tooth comb just to make sure there is nothing else, especial since this incident is related to Kate's attacking case." After Agent Murphy says this Kate bows her head and shakes it.

"So have you found who the hell is behind all of this then?" Kate crossly says.

"Yes we have and you both were right it is Ms Cruise. We have found out from the young lad who did the damage to Mike's car that she had plans in place if anything was to happen and she got caught. We've been monitoring her calls and we are also going through her visitors logs as well. It even looks like her lawyer is in on it all as well as he doesn't seem to concern with what is going on. Now I am hoping you don't mind but we are going to give the young lad a lesser charge if he provides details on the events and plans that Ms Cruise as had planned out including the incident that cause the death of two fine men."

"Well to be honest if it means you get her good and she can't get to anyone else do what you need to do but be careful she is good."

"Yes we are noticing that. This case is going to take time to build it might be months before you are both called to the stand regarding the bombing and Kate's attack because I am including it in as part of this case." He sees the questionable look on Kate's face. "The lad we have has said that he was told to do what to do to you if she was caught. She had this attack planned on you weeks before the bombing. We still not sure how she knows about your first miscarriage that is still something we are working on but we will find out. I will ring once we have your car ready for you Mike to pick up."

"Well there might be a problem as you are well aware of in five days I fly out to Darwin for a few months and by then Kate will most likely be back out on Hammersley so you if I'm not here you will need to contact Maxine."

"That will be no problem; will you still have your mobile while away?"

"Yes I will and there is also my emails, but if you do need to get hold of me quickly the best thing to do is ring Maxine she will be able to get an urgent call through to me."

"That is good to know and Kate would that be the same for you?"

"Yes it is. I will either be at home, Mike's place or Hammersley." She says.

"Well for now that is all we need to go through, but there might be times when I ring to get more information from you both."

"That is fine with us." Mike says they then say their goodbyes, and then Mike and Kate leave the police station and head to Navcom to find out when Kate will return back to Hammersley.

**40mins later**

**Navcom Cairns**

**Maxine's Office**

"I see you've been passed fully fit for sea duty now Kate."

"Yes Ma'am that is correct and I'm wondering when I will be returning to Hammersley?"

"Well Hammersley is due back in port around 1900 and then will be departing 0800hours tomorrow morning if you like you can join the crew tomorrow?"

"Yes please that would be great."

"Ok I will let the CO know what is happening, though Kate if there are any problems out there don't hesitate to ring me." Kate says nothing in reply to Maxine's statement.

"Kate I mean it no matter the time of day you ring me, here is my mobile number you can ring that directly."

"Thanks" She says quietly as she takes the number from Maxine.

**Mike's House**

**1900 Hours**

"Well you start back tomorrow you must be please." Mike says to Kate as they are cuddles up on the couch watching TV. Mike's parents having already headed back home. Making sure Kate knows she can ring them anytime day or night and they'll be up there.

"Yes and no." she replies back with her voice sounding sad.

"Honey?" he asks her and she can tell by his tone that he wants her to explain.

"Be nice to get back to work but I won't be back before you leave for Darwin. I won't get to say goodbye." She says as a lone tear falls down her face, and lands on his chest.

"It's not goodbye honey. I will be returning I told you that. It's only a temporary placement." He then places a kiss on the top of her head. He gives her a hug to try and make her feel better. They lay like that for another hour. Neither one speaking no because of the fear of the other one going but just enjoying the time together, the enjoyment of being in each other's arms without the worry of the outside world, of their jobs.

Around 2100 hours there is a knock on Mike's door that brings them both out of their bubble, their nice little world that they had wrapped themselves in.

"God who would come around at this hour?" Kate asks as she reluctantly moves off Mike's chest so that he can go get the door.

Mike opens the door to be greet by the same women who he meet in the Navcom car park just over a week ago, a lady that called herself Kate's mother.

"What can I do for you?" Mike says sharply to the women.

"I'm looking for Kate do you know where she is?"

"Yes I do but I'm not telling you." He replies back. As Kate hears her mother's voice coming from the front door, she stiffens up. What the hell is she doing here surely she would have moved on by now, like back to her life away from me. She thinks to herself.

"I'm her mother I have a right to know where she is and if she is ok?"

"No you don't have a right to know where she is. The law will even back me up on that one."

"Look mister I don't care who the hell you are, I want to see my daughter so tell me where the hell she is."

"Sorry but I won't be doing that and now I would like you to leave my property before I ring the police." Mike replies back to her firmly.

"This is not the last you will hear from me."

"Ms McGregor, Kate has already told you she doesn't want anything to do with you now if you don't mind I would really appreciate if you would respect your daughter's wishes, otherwise you will be dealing with me and a team of lawyers. And when I explain to them what she has been like each and every time I have allowed her to read a letter from you they will have no problems at all making sure you will never be able to get near her ever again." He says to her in his officer's voice, the look on her face is one of not being too impressed by what he has said.

"How would you know?"

"I know more than you realise. Now leave." He says as he shuts the door on her. Blocking out any chance of her replying and also before he does or says something he will regret.

He walks back to the couch where Kate is still sitting. He notices how her posture is tense.

"How the hell did she found your address?"

"Not sure, but don't worry about her she hasn't got a leg to stand on." He says softly to her and he sits down beside her and wraps his arm around her pulling her into his side.

"Let's go to bed you have an early start tomorrow. You've got to be on board at 0600hours." He says to her. They both get up and head of to bed, to enjoy their last sleep together before she returns to Hammersley and him to Darwin.


	21. Final Chapter

**Three Months later**

Mike walks into his house, and he notices straight away the small changes in it. There are a few more ornaments on the shelves, his CD collection has gotten bigger, and there are a few items that he knows are from Kate's apartment.

He puts his bags down by the hallway and walks into the kitchen to get himself a drink when he sees that Kate's mail is now coming to his place, this puts a smile on his face. He turns around and heads off to put a load of washing on and the rest of his clean clothes away in his draws, which he is not surprised to find have been rearranged while he has been away. But the most tell-tale sign that Kate has decided to move in his how she has her jewellery box and makeup setup on the dresser. The thought that she felt comfortable to do this without him asking her makes his heart swell.

She is serious about us, about making this work. She does won't the same things as me. A future together as a couple, a family. Mike thinks to himself as he goes through the house noticing all the little changes Kate has made to the house. Nothing major but he does noticed them, every single little thing she has changed he picks it up.

I've made the right choice. Supporting her through the loss of Jim's child was important to both of us. We are getting somewhere, somewhere in the right direction for both of us. He thinks again to himself as he sits down on the couch, then decides to spread out across and before long he has drifted off to sleep. The last few days catching up on him.

**Hammersley**

Out on the water somewhere in the middle of the Arafura Sea, Hammersley is busy chasing down another Illegal fishing boat. The crew have noticed how over the last few weeks Kate's mood has brightened up heads compared to how she was when she first came back after the attack. To the crew they see their old XO returning the one that was fun but also fear and firm returning to them, the person she was before everything went to custard. Dutchy is pretty sure he knows who is behind it but as he hasn't seen him in the last few months he is sure Kate has been in contact with him, as on some days she is more update and happy than others, as if she has received an email form him or had some time to talk to him.

Of course they all know that they are returning to back to Cairns soon and of course Kate is even more full on than normal. She has been at the crew to make sure that Hammersley is clean and ready for when they arrive in port. Even during the boarding she took no prisons and got the job done quick and swiftly. Of course the crew also didn't miss the smile that graced her face all day. They may still be hour away from arriving home but for Kate she can't wait. Her man is coming home, a home that they now share, one that she hasn't told him as of yet that she has moved into full time since he left.

She is sitting in the CO's chair and starts to fiddle with the extra chain that is around her neck, one that everyone has noticed she has worn every day since she returned and has never taken it off; she pulls the ring out and looks at before placing it back under her shirt. Unknown to her Dutchy and Charge have both seen the ring and have a smile on their faces.

For Kate she has also been pleased to not have to deal with her mother again. So far there has been no more contact from her at all and she hopes it stays that way.

**Navcom**

Maxine got the phone call from Darwin of Mike's expected arrival back in Cairns and knowing how much the two have missed each other she made sure Hammersley was in port as soon as was possible including giving them several days of shore leave so that the two could spend some time together before work was enforced upon them again and they had to get back to their roles within the Navy.

Also for Maxine she was hoping that Mike's time away might have helped him calm down and that they might be able to get their friendship back on track after what she did with Kate over him. But also giving them a few days of personal time together with Kate not being crashed sailed she knew would go a long way with the two of them.

Mike wakes up a few hours later to find the house in total darkness, he gets up and makes himself something to eat and is surprised to find food in the fridge. He has a slight laugh to himself, picking Maxine had been at work for there to be eatable food as he knows Kate hasn't been home much in the last couple of weeks.

After having something to eat he decides to go have a shower then heads to bed for more sleep.

Around midnight he feels the bed move and someone curl up into the side of him. He notices the all too familiar smell of Kate as she snuggles into him, a smell he hasn't smelt in three months.

"God I've missed you." He says before placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Like wise."

"How long you home for?"

"A couple of days got maintenance."

"Good." He says as he pulls her even closer to his body, taking in another breath of her sent from her hair. The two relax into each other as they allow sleep to engulf them both.

The next couple of days they spent just the two of them. Time to enjoy each other's company before work takes over their lives yet again.

**Three Months later**

Kate has received her promotion to Lieutenant Commander and has now taken over the command of Hammersley. The crew throw Kate a party to celebrate her promotion one they all recon she should have received a year ago.

The day of her receiving her promotion is also the day that Mike proposed to her at a candle lit dinner at her favourite restaurant in Cairns, which they follow up with a walk along the beach afterwards.

A few weeks later Maxine takes some holidays and they put Mike in Charge of Navcom. It was no surprise that when Maxine returned six weeks later that He stayed in his position while she was transferred to another location that included a pay rise and promotion. For Mike he did not mind having the desk job as it allowed for him to have a relationship with Kate, he may hate driving a desk as Maxine puts it but it gives him the change to be with the one he loves.

Three Months after his promotion to Commanding Officer of Navcom Cairns, Kate and Mike marry in a small and private ceremony. Only their closest friends and family attend, including the crew of Hammersley. Kate asks Chloe to be her flower girl and this causes tears to fall form Sally's eyes, but what shocks Sally the most is when Kate asks her to be her maid of honour and walk down the aisle alongside of her.

Chris may no longer be with them in person but the crew have never forgotten about her and Chloe. It is a day like today a celebration of two people joining to become one and them being included is what reminds Sally why Chris loved working for Mike and his crew. They treated each other like family, they loved each other and everyone was involved in each other's lives. It is for this reason that Sally has stayed in Cairns even though her family are not close by nor are Chris, but the crew the family of Hammersley always are close by for her.

For the crew of Hammersley it reminds them of what is important and not to dwell on the past. Chris and Jim may not be with them in person but they will always live on in their hearts and minds, and as long as Sally and Chloe stay in Cairns they will always be a phone call away.

Of course Hammersley knows how to party and at the function after the ceremony the crew and the rest of the quest relax and enjoy the evening in their true fashion and style. Of course some of the speeches that where said had them laughing and also blushing at some of the things that were said, but most of all everyone could see how happy the two of them were, how the two couldn't stop looking at each other. It was no surprise that when they had their first dance as husband and wife they only had eyes for each other, of course Mike's dad cutting in and demanding a dance with his daughter in-law had everyone laughing, after that everyone was up on the dance floor.

Later the evening after saying their goodbyes to everyone Mike and Kate head off to their hotel that Mike has booked for them before they fly out for their honeymoon in Tahiti.

As they lie in bed Kate decides to let him in on her little secret her wedding present to him.

"MMM Mike?"

"Yea baby?" he says as they are wrapped up in each other after making love.

"I have a surprise for you?'

"And what is that my beautiful wife?" He says to her as he smiles down at her.

"How would you like to be a father in about seven months?" She says to him smiling at him.

"Are you saying what I think your saying?" He asks her, as he runs a hand down the side of her face tacking some of her hair behind her ear.

"Yes I am."

"Your pregnant, I'm going to be a father?"

"Yes darling I am."

"But why not tell me before know?"

"I only found out last week when I noticed I was late. I saw a doctor and had it confirmed. And it is fine I can fly. So I decided since I haven't had any of the morning sickness some people get I would wait and tell you on our wedding as my wedding present to you." He leans down and captures her lips in his.

"It is the best wedding present I could ever receive." He says back to her before kissing her again.

Seven months two weeks and three days later they welcome Blake Christopher Jim Flynn into the world, due to the damage that her two miscarriages had caused that had not been noticed, Kate had some complications during the end of her pregnancy and during child birth that resulted in her having to receive a hysterectomy meaning Blake would be their only child. For Mike and Kate this did not bother them the fact that were able to bring Blake into this world healthy and without any ill effects to him was all that matter.

It was the start of a new path forward for the family. One they were more than willing to take together no matter what was put in front of them.


End file.
